Czech Republic appoints new justice minister after bitcoin scandal
The Czech Republic swore in a new justice minister on Tuesday following the resignation of the previous minister amid a bitcoin-related government scandal.
Czech President Petr Pavel appointed Eva Decroix to the role after her predecessor, Pavel Blažek, resigned on 30 May.
Blažek had been at the centre of a political crisis because his ministry had accepted a donation of bitcoin from a man convicted of running an online drug market and other crimes, before selling them for about €40 million earlier this year.
Blažek said he was not aware of any wrongdoing, but that he did not want the four-party coalition government led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala to be hurt by the scandal.
Fiala said he appreciated his resignation and that he believed Blažek had acted in good faith.
The former justice minister was a close ally of Fiala and a key player in the prime minister's conservative Civic Democratic Party. Decroix is from the same party.
Decroix said she will order an independent investigation into the ministry's activities in the case. Fiala had previously called for a probe, including by Czech secret services.
The scandal has been investigated by the national police's organised crime unit.
Pavel said the "public trust in the institutions and the state is at stake" over the scandal.
The opposition has accused Blažek of possible money laundering, because the origin of the donated bitcoins is unclear.
Opposition parties are demanding the resignation of the entire government and planning to call a parliamentary no-confidence vote, which could take place later this month.
The government holds 104 of the 200 seats in the lower house, meaning it would be likely to survive such a vote.
Parliamentary elections are set to take place in the Czech Republic in early October. The main opposition ANO (YES) party led by former populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is predicted to win the vote, according to latest opinion polls.
Colombian presidential contender Miguel Uribe remains in critical condition after being shot in the head at close range during a campaign rally in Bogota over the weekend.
Doctors treating the 39-year-old conservative senator said he had "barely" responded to medical interventions, including brain surgery, following the attempted assassination, which renewed concerns over political violence in the South American country.
Uribe was shot on Saturday while speaking to a small gathering in Bogota's Modelia district. Footage circulating on social media — which Euronews could not independently verify — shows a gunman opening fire at Uribe from close range.
Colombian authorities later said a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene of the attack. He had suffered an injury to the leg and was recovering at a separate clinic.
Colombia's Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez said more than 100 officers are involved in the investigation.
Outside the hospital on Sunday, hundreds of supporters assembled to pray for Uribe's recovery. Many held rosaries, while others voiced anger toward President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of fuelling political divisions.
Petro denounced the attack and urged his opponents to refrain from politicising the incident. Yet the president has frequently labelled political rivals as "oligarchs' and "enemies of the people" during recent pro-reform rallies.
"There is no way to argue that the president … who describes his opponents as enemies of the people, paramilitaries and assassins, has no responsibility in this," political analyst Andrés Mejía posted on X.
On Monday, the Colombian Senate announced it would suspend sessions indefinitely in solidarity with Uribe.
Meanwhile, nine opposition parties issued a joint statement on Monday vowing to approach international institutions to ensure "conditions of equality" they say have been denied by the current government.
They also urged Colombia's Inspector General to create a special commission to safeguard transparency and electoral security.
Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo said that while there had been no prior threats against Uribe, his legal team had previously requested an upgrade to his security, which they claim was ignored.
His lawyer, Víctor Mosquera, has accused the National Protection Unit of negligence, stating: "His security detail had to be improved. We have to investigate whether the attack was a consequence of negligence."
Petro wrote on X on Monday that Uribe's security escort had been "strangely" reduced from seven to three bodyguards on the day of the attack, and said that he had requested a police inquiry.
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