Final Word from Thursday, March 14, 2019
After the plagiarism scandal involving historian Martin Kovář of Charles University broke out, Czech Radio reported that a number of universities were reviewing students' theses from the past. Retroactivity is also part of a planned new law on the screening of foreign investments into strategic technology or infrastructure, esp. by Chinese companies. LN reports today that a special interagency team would be created for doing the vetting. No new law would be needed for putting together a special team for reviewing past decisions of the ÚOHS antitrust office. Chairman Petr Rafaj will apparently be arrested soon and charged with bribe-taking and abuse of official position in favor of Kapsch, and if this happens, it will cast doubt on every decision his office has ever made. So much would be at stake in a review of past decisions that special care would need to be given to vetting the members of such a team. A forensics expert with no ties to the country might need to be brought in to lead the initiative. Czech business and politics are simply too incestuous. Rafaj, a former ČSSD MP, is living proof of this. [ Czech Republic anti-monopoly competition highway toll tender ]
Glossary of difficult words
antitrust - anti-monopoly; preventing or controlling trusts or other monopolies, and so promoting fair competition in business;
to vet - to screen; to make a careful and critical examination of (something);
forensics - (in business) criminal investigation of documents, accounting and activities;
incestuous - (of human relations) excessively close and resistant to outside influence.