Final Word from Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Yesterday we wrote about the strategic forgetfulness of Chief Justice Pavel Rychetský of the Constitutional Court when he is taking revenge on someone who got in the way of his scheme to stack the judiciary with his friends. Today we write about his strategic forgetfulness in addressing conflicts of interest. He told Václav Moravec of Czech TV on Sun. that a justice minister must recuse him- or herself for bias if he or she has decision-making power in a case affecting his or her legal practice. The target of his comments both times was Marie Benešová. Rychetský's own situation is different but similar. As we wrote in Sept. 2017, he was the Constitutional Court's rapporteur for a landmark freedom-of-information ruling that went in ČEZ's favor. Representing ČEZ was lawyer Radek Pokorný, who trained under Rychetský and refers to him publicly as his mentor. If Rychetský didn't trade in double standards, he would seek to have the ČEZ decision reviewed by disinterested justices. [ Czech Republic Television OVM Otázky Václava Moravce ]
Glossary of difficult words
to stack - to manipulate a situation unethically; to arrange something underhandedly to ensure a desired outcome;
to recuse oneself - to excuse oneself from a case because of a potential conflict of interest or lack of impartiality;
rapporteur - a person who is appointed by an organization to report on the proceedings of its meetings;
landmark - an event or discovery marking an important stage or turning point in something;
to trade in - to deal in; to be concerned with or engaged in;
disinterested - not influenced by considerations of personal advantage.