Final Word from Wednesday, June 11, 2014
The Czech media have run numerous stories since 2009 about CEEI, the Liechtenstein-based company that won a Kč 1.5bn tender to build a temporary spent-fuel storage facility for ČEZ. CEEI was the only bidder, and no one knows who owns it. ČEZ Board Member Vladimír Hlavinka was quoted in 2009 as saying that it would be discriminatory to ask. CEEI had no experience in building such facilities, and its bid was for twice what a comparable facility in Germany had cost. The obvious conclusion was that people connected to ČEZ were involved in a flagrant criminal conspiracy to defraud the company, but the police dropped the case. An elegant solution to this spot of bother for Martin Roman, Daniel Beneš and others has now been found. ČEZ will pay a laughable Kč 390,000 antitrust fine while waiving its right to appeal. ČEZ is in essence admitting wrongdoing and getting a slap on the wrist as punishment. [Czech Republic Temelín power office]
Glossary of difficult words
spent nuclear fuel - nuclear fuel that has been irradiated in a nuclear reactor and is no longer useful in sustaining a nuclear reaction;
flagrant - blatant or glaring;
to waive - to refrain from insisting on or using (a right or claim);
slap on the wrist - a light punishment for doing something wrong.