A Czech sentenced to death in Yugoslavia recently had...

A Czech sentenced to death in Yugoslavia recently had his sentenced commuted to 40 years in prison.
Following the abolishment of the death penalty in Serbia, 40 years imprisonment became the maximum penalty, the head of the consular section at the Czech embassy in Belgrade Petr Smejkal said.
The convicted man is now waiting to receive the verdict with its official Czech version, expected by the end of the month. He then has 15 days to appeal his conviction to the court of second instance.
If Vlastimil N. accepts the verdict, he can request deportation to the Czech Republic where he would serve the rest of his sentence on the basis of the Czech-Yugoslav extradition treaty.
The man, 39, was arrested with a gang of kidnappers and murderers in November of 1999 under suspicion of having killed four lorry drivers, two of whom were Kosovar Albanians. Smejkal said that Vlastimil N. did not deny his part in the crimes, but denied they happened as maintained by the prosecution.
According to prosecutors, the gang lured lorry drivers off the road by pretending they needed help with repairs. The driver was then killed and the lorry sold for a tenth of its cost. A total of ten people were prosecuted in connection with these crimes.