Final Word from Monday, May 19, 2008
Hidden in Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg's decision to hire Kroll to investigate the finances of Jiří Čunek, as first reported by HN on Fri., is an indirect indictment of some of the world's biggest advisory groups. Schwarzenberg told Právo that he is turning to Kroll, which has no office in the CR, because he "needs a firm that will not be suspected of being under the influence of any Czech institution and that will be independent of politics here." Surely Schwarzenberg could find forensic auditors, corporate investigators or law firms already active in the country that would meet this requirement. It's true that too many dirty deals in the past were rubber-stamped by world-renowned advisory institutions, but not everyone was guilty of this. Schwarzenberg's comment lumps the good with the bad and ignores the fact that at least part of the advisory market is undergoing a cleansing. If Schwarzenberg can't see this, he might be moving in the wrong circles.[Czech Republic Hospodářské noviny]
Glossary of difficult words
indictment - accusation, charge;
Právo - see Page 2, on Sat., May 17, or search for "Kroll" after registering on Právo's website;
to rubber-stamp something - to approve automatically without proper consideration;
to lump - to treat as being alike without regard for differences;
cleansing - the process of ridding a person, place or thing of something that is considered unpleasant, unwanted or defiling.