WARSAW, March 28 - RAPSI. The Czech Constitutional Court has refused to consider the high treason case against former President Vaclav Klaus, the CTK news agency reports, citing Secretary General Ivo Pospisil.

"The procedure is effectively aimed at impeaching the president, who is damaging the country's interests and violating the law," Pospisil said. "But this cannot be done because his term in office has already expired."

Klaus tenure ended on March 7. The republic's new president, Milos Zeman, took office on March 8.

President of the Senate Milan Stech said he "respected the court ruling." Klaus's attorney Marek Nespala said he was "satisfied" with the verdict.

In early March, the upper house of the Czech parliament voted 38-30 for submitting a treason complaint against the outgoing president to the country's Constitutional Court. The complaint was forwarded to the court on March 5.

The Senate's actions were prompted by an amnesty granted by President Klaus on January 1 in honor of the country's 20th anniversary of independence which would free nearly one-third of all prison inmates (around 6,500 people) and halt the prosecution of prominent business executives and officials charged with bribery and fraud.

The Senate, which is dominated by the president's left-wing political opponents, also claims that Klaus deferred the signing of laws and the appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court.