Final Word from Monday, February 21, 2005
One theory is that KDU-ČSL Chair Miroslav Kalousek was behind the attacks on Stanislav Gross. Kalousek's security adviser, Jiří Růžek, was head of the BIS intelligence agency but was essentially fired by Gross. It's also noteworthy that Kalousek is the only coalition politician who is warning that the Gross scandal could compromise the Český Telecom privatization. He points out that Gross's wife, Šárka, has a real-estate loan from eBanka, whose owner, PPF, is involved in the privatization. It's too early to say whether Kalousek wants the Telecom privatization delayed, or whether the goal is to thwart the direct sale and force a float on the stock exchange. But there are rumors that some of the powerful financial groups that Gross warned about have been quietly buying up big stakes in Telecom. Their profits depend largely on Kalousek's next moves. [Czech Republic Prague Stock Exchange]