Authorities arrested Tomas Jirikovsky in Breclav and seized assets amid a $45 million Bitcoin donation scandal tied to money laundering and drug trafficking allegations, roiling Czech politics ahead of elections.
Czech police have arrested convicted drug trafficker Tomas Jirikovsky in Breclav and seized assets linked to his $45 million Bitcoin donation to the Ministry of Justice. The 468 BTC gift was accepted earlier this year by then-Justice Minister Pavel Blazek without verifying its origins, leading to his resignation in May. A July audit ordered by Justice Minister Eva Decroix found the ministry should not have accepted the funds due to high risk of illicit origin. The case, now separated from a broader May probe and overseen by the High Public Prosecutor’s Office in Olomouc, focuses on suspected money laundering and drug trafficking. The scandal has triggered political upheaval, including a narrowly survived no-confidence vote in June and ongoing demands for further resignations, notably of Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura.