Latest news with #PavelBlazek
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Czech justice minister quits after accepting US$44m in bitcoins from ex-drug dealer, insists he was ‘not aware of any unlawful acts'
PRAGUE, May 31 — Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blazek said yesterday he would step down after coming under fire for accepting almost a billion Czech koruna (RM187 million) in bitcoins from a drug dealer. Blazek's ministry received the money from a man who had served four years in prison for embezzlement, drug trafficking and the illegal possession of a gun until 2021. It received the cryptocurrency this year and sold it for Czech korunas in auctions, Blazek said. The origin of the money is unknown but Blazek said courts never proved it came from any criminal activity. 'I am not aware of any unlawful acts. But I don't want to tarnish the reputation of the governing coalition,' he said on X yesterday. Police are investigating the donation over a suspected abuse of power and money laundering. Blazek, 56, is a member of the right-wing Civic Democratic Party of Prime Minister Petr Fiala, who leads a centre-right governing coalition formed after a 2021 election. The opposition called on Blazek to resign after news about the gift appeared on Wednesday. Fiala said on X he was convinced that Blazek had acted 'in good faith' and appreciated his resignation as a 'responsible step'. The Czech Republic, an EU and Nato member of 10.9 million people, is bracing for a general election scheduled for October 3 and 4. The opposition ANO movement of billionaire ex-premier Andrej Babis is tipped to win as its backing in polls tops 30 per cent, way ahead of Fiala's second-placed Civic Democrats with some 20 per cent. — AFP
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Czech justice minister quits after accepting US$44m in bitcoins from ex--drug dealer, insists ‘not aware of any unlawful acts'
PRAGUE, May 31 — Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blazek said yesterday he would step down after coming under fire for accepting almost a billion Czech koruna (RM187 million) in bitcoins from a drug dealer. Blazek's ministry received the money from a man who had served four years in prison for embezzlement, drug trafficking and the illegal possession of a gun until 2021. It received the cryptocurrency this year and sold it for Czech korunas in auctions, Blazek said. The origin of the money is unknown but Blazek said courts never proved it came from any criminal activity. 'I am not aware of any unlawful acts. But I don't want to tarnish the reputation of the governing coalition,' he said on X yesterday. Police are investigating the donation over a suspected abuse of power and money laundering. Blazek, 56, is a member of the right-wing Civic Democratic Party of Prime Minister Petr Fiala, who leads a centre-right governing coalition formed after a 2021 election. The opposition called on Blazek to resign after news about the gift appeared on Wednesday. Fiala said on X he was convinced that Blazek had acted 'in good faith' and appreciated his resignation as a 'responsible step'. The Czech Republic, an EU and Nato member of 10.9 million people, is bracing for a general election scheduled for October 3 and 4. The opposition ANO movement of billionaire ex-premier Andrej Babis is tipped to win as its backing in polls tops 30 per cent, way ahead of Fiala's second-placed Civic Democrats with some 20 per cent. — AFP
LeMonde
2 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Czech justice minister resigns after accepting €40 million in bitcoin from convicted criminal
What was initially presented as a great deal quickly unraveled. On Friday, May 30, Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blazek, the conservative politician, resigned after two days of controversy over the sale by his ministry of bitcoins "donated for free" by a criminal convicted of drug trafficking. The scandal began with a tweet from the ministry, which boasted, on Wednesday, on X, that it had auctioned off nearly 500 bitcoins two days earlier, raising close to 1 billion Czech koruna (about €40 million). According to Blazek, the money was meant to help fund the digitization of the justice system, fight drug use in prisons, and provide housing for prison staff. But a major problem was quickly pointed out by Denik N. On Thursday, the news site revealed that the bitcoins were donated by Tomas Jirikovsky, a notorious criminal convicted in 2017 of "embezzlement, drug trafficking, and illegal possession of weapons." He had been found guilty of running Sheep Marketplace, a marketplace on the dark web known for dealing illegal products.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Minister of this country resigned over $45 million ‘Bitcoin gift from drug dealer'
Czech Republic's justice minister Pavel Blazek on Friday stepped down amid growing public and political pressure over his ministry's handling of a controversial Bitcoin donation linked to a convicted criminal. The scandal erupted after local media reported that the ministry had accepted a 'cryptocurrency gift' from a convicted drug dealer, later selling the Bitcoin for around 1 billion koruna (approximately $45 million), according to a Bloomberg report. State prosecutors then launched an investigation into the matter. Although Blazek denied any wrongdoing, he announced his resignation on social media platform X, stating that he was unaware of any illegal activity but did not want to tarnish the government's image. "I don't want to damage the reputation of the government, nor the governing coalition," he wrote. Earlier, Czech Republic's justice minister Pavel Blazek defended the transaction, arguing there was no evidence that the cryptocurrency had criminal origins. Nonetheless, the revelation sparked a political storm, especially with national elections looming in October. Prime Minister Petr Fiala, whose coalition is currently lagging behind in the polls, acknowledged Pavel Blazek's intentions and described the resignation as a 'responsible' act. 'I'm convinced Minister Blazek acted in good faith,' Fiala said, while noting the move was necessary to protect the integrity of the government. Elections are due in October in Czech Republic, where its most popular political party has pledged to seek full state ownership in power producer CEZ AS to boost energy security if it returns to government. The ANO group, led by billionaire former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, is weighing three different paths to raise the government's ownership to 100 per cent from 70 per cent, the party's deputy leader Karel Havlicek said in an interview, according to Bloomberg. The buyout of minority stakes in the biggest traded generator in eastern Europe, with a market value of about $29 billion, would be funded by CEZ itself, he said.
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Czech Justice Minister Resigns Over $45 Million Gift in Bitcoin
Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blazek resigned amid criticism that his ministry accepted a gift in Bitcoin from a convicted criminal and later sold the cryptocurrency for about 1 billion koruna ($45 million). State prosecutors opened a probe into the matter, local media reported on Friday. Blazek said he decided to resign even though he wasn't 'aware of any illegal actions.'
