Pardon delayed

Several attentive readers pointed out that Václav Klaus did not, in fact, rule out granting a pardon to Nomura officials. He merely told Czech Radio that he wouldn't grant a pardon on the basis of the cabinet's request, given what he knows now. He said nothing about granting or not granting a pardon in the future if another request is made or if more information becomes available. Theoretically, he could review the matter and conclude that undue political pressure was put on the prosecutor. He could wait until after the presidential vote, so that his reelection chances weren't hurt. A pardon for the main international players in the IPB affair could then pave the way for Klaus to pardon the major Czech players, esp. IPB mastermind Libor Procházka. As long as the threat of jail time hangs over Procházka's head, the IPB issue will continue to reverberate through Czech politics. [Czech Republic immunity]