Final Word from Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Perhaps the biggest event of 2020 in Czech business, other than a few large deals and of course covid-19, was the replacement of Petr Rafaj at the ÚOHS antitrust office. This was both good news and bad for the "real businesspeople" that Pres. Miloš Zeman spoke about in his Christmas address. They probably have a better chance now of getting a fair shake at the competition office, but it also means that if they're looking for special attention, they might have to visit the Castle instead of the office of a certain Prague lawyer. Rafaj's career ended ignominiously, in line with what Zeman said about puppeteers and their puppets when he spoke with Jaromír Soukup on Oct. 4, 2018. "We've already had several puppeteers here," he said. "I remind you of Dalík, who is in prison. I remind you of - damn, what's his name? - Pokorný, who isn't in prison yet. And you all know how those who were led by these puppeteers ended up." Well, Rafaj isn't in prison yet either, but there's always 2021. [ Czech Republic monopoly Petr Mlsna Radek TV Barrandov Marek ]