Czech Justice Minister Resigns Over $45M Bitcoin Gift
The Czech Justice Minister has left office after a $45 million donation scandal which had the nation in shock. Pavel Blazek which mounted over the government’s acceptance of a large scale crypto currency donation from a darknet market operator. The issue comes in at a very bad time for the coalition. It is but 6 months before the parliamentary elections which shake the stability of the coalition.
Czech Minister Of Justice’s Role In The Regulatory Breach
Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blazek, who had held office for two terms and was a legal scholar, had been at the forefront of judicial reforms and digital law development. However he was also at fault for accepting a 468 donation that’s about $45 million from Tomáš Jiřikovský. This brought to light current flaws in our gift acceptance policies. Jiřikovský, who at past had run the illegal Sheep Marketplace, put forward the crypto in February 2025. The Ministry’s legal team was at it again with its out of date donation law interpretations. This made the transaction go through.
The issue which donates is at the core of the question. Through Chainalysis the coins went to darknet markets and also through privacy mixers like Tornado Cash and Wasashi Wallet. The Ministry failed to produce identity info for Jiřikovský as required by MiCA Article 34. This includes full disclosure of beneficial ownership for large transactions. Also the auction results are a matter of what is reported. At the time of resignation only 12% of the 1 billion CZK had in fact been used. Some of the winning bidders are also connected to Russian sanctioned oligarch groups.
In response to increasing criticism the Finance Ministry put forth emergency reforms. These include a 90 day holding period for public sector crypto donations, mandatory blockchain analysis, and escrow-based handling. The Czech National Bank reported on non-bank related issues of “tainted assets” in 2024. This went largely unheeded by the ministry’s policy makers. Blazek’s departure may now be the push for which there has been a long time need for change in crypto law enforcement. In particular, concerning public sector accountability.
Electoral Implications And Political Risk
Public confidence has fallen. The Civic Democratic Party’s approval ratings went down by 7 points. At the same time, we see an increase for opposition party ANO. Also, in the key coalition which includes the Christian Democratic Union, some are calling for more robust crypto laws. They say these are a must, or else they will leave. The National Centre for Organised is looking into the issue via money laundering, abuse of power, and tax evasion charges. With the election campaign starting in September there is growing pressure to come up with solutions quickly.
