Final Word from Monday, June 2, 2008
Without much to go on, the Czech media concocted an interesting tale about what PM Mirek Topolánek and his hangers-on were up to in Sardinia. One theory is that the big chief summoned an airport powwow, even though privatization go-between Roman Janoušek had to stay at home because the media attention became too great. On the agenda in Sardinia might have been the name of the Czech financial group that will be preselected to win the Prague Airport tender. Officially, of course, a strategic investor will win the tender in a fair process, but to have a chance the investor might first need to outbid all other bidders for the privilege of joining forces with the preselected financial group. Media reports suggested that J&T might have the upper hand in this, but Penta's land holdings at the airport undoubtedly put it high on the list. Speaking in E15, Marek Dospiva of Penta made his company's interest clear: "We'd like to coordinate the entire tender process."[Czech Republic Letiště Praha ABS Jets]
Glossary of difficult words
Penta's price - Penta's price for selling land at the airport for use as a runway might be to be the one selected to act as coordinator of the airport tender;
not to have much to go on - not to have much to work with, to have a weak starting point;
to concoct - to create or devise (a story or plan);
to be up to something - to be doing something (often with a negative connotation);
powwow - a conference or meeting among friends or colleagues;
go-between - an intermediary or negotiator;
to outbid - to offer to pay a higher price for something than another person.