Final Word from Monday, July 31, 2006
Vlastimil Tlustý might be the ODS politician everyone loves to hate, but he knew how to keep the lid on things at ČKA debt-consolidation agency. Since he was forced out by Finance Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, Kč 500m has turned up missing from a subsidiary, and three people have been arrested for bribery in the sale of bad debt. One of the three, Board Member Radka Kafková, had been sacked by Finance Minister Jiří Rusnok in 2001, only to be rehired in 2003 by current Finance Minister Bohuslav Sobotka. He also reportedly stood up for her when ČKA's CEO, Zdeněk Čáp, wanted to fire her yet again. Some people claim that Kafková's arrest is Tlustý's revenge on Sobotka for forcing him out. Be that as it may, the continuing scandals at ČKA show that unless there's a brain like Tlustý in charge of organizing and executing the kšefty, someone is bound to make a costly mistake.[Czech Republic Česká konsolidační agentura corruption]