Final Word from Thursday, November 21, 2024

Supreme State Prosecutor Igor Stříž told LN at the end of June that his term in office expires in mid-2028 but that he didn't intend to serve it out. He of course didn't talk about it, but the timing of his departure is much more important for his presumed successor, Senior Prague Prosecutor Lenka Bradáčová, than for him. If Justice Min. Pavel Blažek of ODS truly believed that Petr Fiala will remain as PM after next year's elections, he'd wait until after the elections to promote Bradáčová. Any high-level personnel changes between now and next fall will automatically raise eyebrows. Yet there are rumors that the shake-up in the state prosecution will happen in Dec. This would make Bradáčová an easy target in the election campaign because of her apparent special treatment for people around Fiala (esp. Fiala's adviser Miloš Růžička and others in the PDZ scandal). Add to that what Petr Kolář wrote in MFD today about the end of Blažek's own problems with corruption scandals in Brno if Bradáčová takes over, and one might conclude that Blažek, Stříž and Bradáčová have already missed their window of opportunity for a smooth transition. [ Czech Republic Lidové noviny attorney general ]