Czech opposition calls for no-confidence vote over $45M BTC controversy

The ANO opposition party in the Czech Republic has called for a vote of no confidence in the country’s government. The opposition party claimed the current regime had neglected its duty to oversee donated funds. The opposition’s move comes barely a week after the resignation of the country’s justice minister. 

According to a report by Reuters, the Czech opposition party, ANO, has intensified its calls for a vote of no confidence in the country’s leadership. The ANO party said the current regime failed in its mandate to vet fund donations.

The calls for the vote of no confidence came after the minister of justice received a $45 million donation in the form of Bitcoin. 

ANO party says the government should resign

The Czech opposition party has expressed disappointment in the current regime following the resignation of Pavel Blazek, the country’s Justice Minister. The Justice Minister resigned last Friday after being accused of accepting a donation from a convicted drug trafficker. 

The donation to the government in March has since led to widespread condemnation. The donation was sold at a public auction by the government for over $45 million.

The Minister of Justice said he did not commit any wrongdoing in receiving the donation from the convicted drug trafficker. The donor, Tomas Jirikovsky, was convicted in 2017 for operating Sheep Marketplace, a defunct illegal online marketplace. Jirikovsky was jailed from 2017 to 2021 for illegal possession of firearms, drug trafficking, and fraud. 

The Deputy Chief of the ANO party, Karel Havlicek, said the government should have stepped down. Havlicek added that the party will trigger a no-confidence vote unless something exceptional occurs. The Deputy Chief, whose party has enough parliament members to effect a no-confidence vote, said there was no other option. 

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala recently stated that the country’s secret service will fully investigate the $45 million BTC donation issue. Fiala added that he understood the concerns raised by the public that the country may have been abused for receiving donations from criminal activities.

The Prime Minister explained that Blazek may have been motivated to get funds for the state. Fiala, however, admitted that Blazek failed to evaluate the political-ethical aspect of the matter. The Prime Minister added that there was no reason for the current regime to fall.

According to government records, the current regime has 104 seats in the 200-seat parliament, enough to overcome a no-confidence motion if the coalition parties back it up. The coalition partners of the ruling party have demanded explanations from the government. Fiala’s coalition has not yet indicated that it would opt out of the coalition. 

Czech opposition party claims the government failed to vet funds 

The ANO party claims the government should have vetted the donations from the ex-convict. Blazek, a day before his resignation, said he did not have a way to investigate the matter even after the case closed many years ago. 

Sheep Marketplace, Jirikovsky’s own site, was closed down in 2013 after a 2013 heist linked to two men from Florida, during which the platform lost 5,400 BTC. Jirikovsky tried to recover 1,500 BTC in 2021, which had been confiscated by the authorities during his arrest in 2016.

During the trial of Jirikovsky, the authorities tried to trace the origins of the seized BTC. However, details of the donated BTC’s dark web trail were first published in Deik N’s investigative report.

The calls for a vote of no-confidence came as the ruling coalition (SPOLU) lags behind the ANO opposition at 19%. According to poll data, the ANO party leads with 32%. The country’s general election will be conducted in October.

Jiri Pehe, New York University Prague Director, stated that many people will probably see the Czech Prime Minister as a suspect in the ongoing controversy. Pehe claimed that many people would not believe that Fiala was not aware of the whole affair, even though he was a close friend and associate of the justice minister.

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