Final Word from Friday, March 24, 2006
Agriculture Minister Jan Mládek and Prague heritage inspector Jiří Musálek joined the long list this week of Czech officials who (allegedly) are having trouble hiding their ill-gotten gains. Mládek and Musálek reportedly put their money into real estate, which - to their chagrin - is becoming easier and easier to trace. What's a hardworking bribe-taker to do these days? Cash is difficult to transport and hide, offshore companies leave a paper trail, and Rolexes are a bit conspicuous. What's left other than property in Prague, Slaný or Spain? The complications will only mount when these entrepreneurial officials try to pass on their fortunes to their heirs. Some of the more-clever officials - and we thought Mládek was one of them - are using well-paying international jobs to wash their hidden Czech wealth. The cleverest politicians of all, of course, kept their greed under control. [Czech Republic farm corruption building conservation]