Final Word from Tuesday, July 29, 2025
An independent system of justice is the worst nightmare of a justice minister charged with whitewashing a "major screw-up" in the system, as Pres. Petr Pavel himself referred to the bitcoin affair of ex-Justice Min. Pavel Blažek. If there were ever any uncertainties about the role of Blažek's successor, Eva Decroix, her comments yesterday should dispel them. Not only did she contradict herself multiple times in explaining why ex-Justice David Uhlíř had quit as her hand-picked external adviser for coordinating the clarification of the scandal, but she also complained that Olomouc Senior State Prosecutor Radim Dragoun wasn't answering her questions satisfactorily. Decroix now wants Supreme State Prosecutor Lenka Bradáčová to step in to conduct supervision. One way to read this is that Dragoun is getting too close to the truth and needs to be reined in. Who better to do it than the selective state prosecutor who has been deciding for more than a decade which major corruption cases should be prosecuted and who gets a pass? A truly independent senior state prosecutor would see this as his cue to start filing criminal charges quickly. [ Czech Republic chief ODS Tomáš Jiřikovský ]
Glossary of difficult words
In walked Bradáčová - an allusion to Thelonious Monk's "In Walked Bud";
to whitewash - deliberately to attempt to conceal unpleasant or incriminating facts about (a person or organization);
screw-up - a situation that has been completely mismanaged or mishandled;
to dispel - to make (a doubt, feeling or belief) disappear;
to hand-pick - to select carefully with a particular purpose in mind;
to rein in - to bring under control;
to get a pass - to be excused from a responsibility or obligation;
cue - a signal for action.