Czech leader in bugging 'scandal'

By Rob Cameron
BBC News, Prague

President Klaus has demanded the police chief's resignation

Prosecutors in the Czech Republic have denied media claims that conversations with the country's president have been bugged by police.

President Vaclav Klaus had expressed outrage at reports that police had eavesdropped on a friend's private calls as part of a fraud investigation.

Police have admitted bugging the man's phone, but prosecutors say there is no record of any calls to the president.

All records of the friend's calls were destroyed. They were deemed irrelevant.

'Clean conscience'

On Friday, the president called on police chief Jiri Kolar to resign after he apparently downplayed claims that an opposition leader had his phone tapped.

Mr Kolar had been quoted as saying that people with clean consciences should not worry about the police listening in to their conversations.

He says his comments were misrepresented, but the opposition claims police and intelligence services are running dangerously out of control.

Police said the telephone of Mr Klaus' long-standing friend was bugged as part of an ongoing fraud investigation. The president's own phone was not monitored.