Final Word from Wednesday, November 12, 2003
CEO Martin Jahn of CzechInvest told Strategic Direct Investor in March that he'll likely be ready to move on soon and that politics is one possibility. He'll get a big dose of politics this week. Czech TV ran a critical report last night on Klekánice - a rerun will air today at 1:25pm - that was partly inspired by politics. The most damning news was inside information from the Agency for Foreign Investment showing that Jahn and four other CI employees get outside salaries and expense accounts for giving a few professional-service firms access to incoming foreign investors. There are two distinct issues. First, whether investment incentives are beneficial and should continue. And second, whether it's right for state employees to get hidden salaries from the private sector. In the political debate that's sure to follow, it'd be bad news for the economy if the two issues were blurred. Television