Final Word from Monday, January 17, 2005
Hasn't Stanislav Gross ever read Kmotr (The Godfather)? If he had, he'd know that the don must always protect himself by having a layer between him and the action. Gross, though, formed his own five-man police squad as interior minister and, instead of using an intermediary to give the orders, met with the team secretly and passed pieces of paper back and forth. Miloš Zeman once referred to Gross as a mafioso with a low IQ. Now Gross's underlings on the police squad have started talking, and he's facing a true political crisis. ODS argues convincingly that he broke the law. MP Vlastimil Tlustý of ODS suggested yesterday on Czech TV that Gross should be prosecuted and perhaps go to prison for this. More revelations are sure to come. The most interesting things, such as Gross's connection to the Kč 2.5bn fraud at Čepro, haven't even made the headlines yet. [Czech Republic Czech Television gangster Mafia Mill Mlýn]