More where that came from

City Councilor Filip Dvořák of ODS has survived a brush with the media regarding his attempt to buy a prime Prague apartment. Czech Television TV used a hidden camera to film a witness who said Dvořák paid more than Kč 4m on the black market for the city-owned dwelling. He denied carrying the transaction through. The media concentrated on the tax aspect, saying that Dvořák was abetting tax evasion because not all the money was reported. Prague's ODS chapter accepted Dvořák's explanation that he didn't break any law, and this might be true because the deal wasn't completed. The media didn't spend much time on the bigger issue: Where did Dvořák - a public servant with a modest official salary - get all that money? To avoid answering this, Dvořák is apparently willing to walk away from the deal and leave Kč 4m on the table.