Final Word from Tuesday, May 26, 2009
When Antitrust Chair Martin Pecina was named interior minister, he said he wanted to do both the antitrust and the ministerial job. Everyone pounced on him for having a possible conflict of interest. He relented, and the pressure subsided. But according to Reflex, Pecina still has a potential conflict of interest. As interior minister, he'll be the key figure in deciding whether to cooperate with Switzerland in its investigation of the privatization of MUS coal company. Switzerland alleges that Appian used MUS's own money to buy the mines, and the investigation has reportedly turned up a transaction between MUS and Škoda Plzeň. Škoda was run at the time by Martin Roman, now CEO of ČEZ. Pecina, according to Reflex, is a good friend of Roman's and owes both his current posts to him. It's a complicated story, but it sheds light on the nagging question of why Pecina, of all people, became interior minister.[Czech Republic Mostecká uhelná spol. Group]
Glossary of difficult words
Martin Pecina - he will remain antitrust chairman only until a new person is appointed;
to pounce on someone - to jump on, to take notice of a mistake or sign of weakness and react to it quickly;
to relent - to change one's mind, back down;
to subside - to become less intense;
Reflex - scroll down to the Reflex article - it is not yet available on Reflex's web site;
to shed light on - to explain, clarify;
nagging - persistent, unabating;
Pecina - with his background, he would be more suited as industry minister.