Czech opposition has called a no-confidence vote against the government after the state accepted a $45 million payment consisting of 468 bitcoins from a convicted criminal.
The motion filed by the ANO party on June 12th accuses the government of corruption for accepting the payment from someone who was imprisoned from 2017 to 2021 for involvement in drug trade, fraud, and illegal possession of weapons. Justice Minister Pavel Blazek resigned on May 31st over the affair, though he denied doing anything illegal.
The opposition ANO party, led by former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, has demanded Prime Minister Petr Fiala's resignation and accused the government of corruption over the bitcoin acceptance. ANO vice-chair Alena Schillerova stated they had no choice but to file the no-confidence motion. Opinion polls show Babis's ANO party with a clear lead over Fiala's ODS party ahead of the October elections. The no-confidence vote is likely to fail as the government maintains a parliamentary majority, however the scandal could damage the centre-right coalition's chances in the October 3-4 election where it currently trails the opposition.
Sources:
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Trader Edge
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