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Czech Justice Minister Resigns over a Donated Bitcoin Scandal - CT Insider
- Justice Minister Pavel Blažek resigned on June 5, 2025, amid controversy over a $45 million Bitcoin donation to the Czech Ministry of Justice.
- The donation came in March from Tomáš Jiříkovský, a convicted cybercriminal imprisoned in 2017 for operating the illegal Sheep Marketplace on the dark web.
- Authorities, including the police’s organized crime branch, are investigating possible abuses of power, money laundering, and whether the donation violated ethical standards.
- Blažek defended his acceptance by saying he took the donation in good faith and did not foresee legal issues, while opposition leaders called it a "catastrophic judgment."
- The scandal unsettles the ruling coalition, sparks calls for a no-confidence vote, and threatens the government’s standing before the October 3–4, 2025 national elections.
25 Articles
25 Articles
The Czech government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala is struggling with a gigantic scandal, linked to a large donation in bitcoin. Justice Minister Pavel Blazek accepted as a gift cryptocurrencies worth a billion crowns (about 40 million euros) that came from a drug dealer. Blazek resigned a few days ago, but questions about the origin of money persist. Blazek also said he did not see anything wrong in having accepted the gift, because, according t…
der Standard AT
der Standard DEThe Ministry of Justice received a Bitcoin donation worth about 40 million euros. Following the resignation of the Minister, the opposition is now calling for the whole government to be re-elected.
Outgoing Justice Minister Pavel Blažek (ODS) will not speak at an extraordinary meeting called by the opposition on Thursday over the bitcoin scandal. Blažek is stepping down as head of the ministry because of it, and he was supposed to face questions about a suspicious bitcoin donation of a billion crowns to the ministry at the meeting. Some opposition MPs consider this weak.
The Minister of Justice resigned.
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