Final Word from Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Czechs used to their own judicial mafia can't be blamed for looking with jaded eyes at what is happening in other countries. One of our readers said that Sonia Sotomayor is "sotva major," roughly translated as "hardly the best," because she was able to win confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court only by recanting her stated belief that the judiciary makes the law. Another high-profile American, Mid-East Envoy George Mitchell, pleaded ignorance in court to a scheme to bribe government officials in Azerbaijan, although Mitchell was vice chair of Viktor Kožený's investment vehicle, Oily Rock. Kožený told LN that Mitchell not only knew about the Azeri corruption, but also personally took part in it and lied about it under oath. Kožený is himself a notorious liar, but it's a sign of the judicial times that his version of the truth sounds at least as plausible as the version accepted as truth by a court of law.[Czech Republic United States of America Frederic Bourke]
Glossary of difficult words
judicial mafia - a group of judges and prosecutors who make decisions based on politics or personal interests and not facts;
jaded - cynical; tired;
to recant - to say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, esp. one considered heretical;
judiciary - the judicial authorities of a country; judges collectively;
plausible - seeming reasonable or probable.