Final Word from Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Anything Euro magazine writes about Andrej Babiš must be taken with a grain of salt, because Babiš is trying to lock up Euro's owner, František Savov, for VAT fraud. This being said, Euro's article yesterday about the legal troubles faced by Oleo Chemical, a maker of biofuel from animal fat, needs to be given serious consideration. Euro is careful about presenting its case, but if you read between the lines, you understand that Babiš has joined forces with the police and his own ministry's tax inspectors to criminalize Oleo Chemical in order to drive down its value before Babiš buys it in a distressed sale. This would help Babiš resolve his own problem of the impending obsolescence of his plant-based biofuel production. If Euro's report proved true, it would be the most egregious example yet of not merely a conflict of interest on Babiš's part, but of abuse of power. It's hard to see how it wouldn't be categorized as criminal behavior. [Czech Republic Agrofert]
Glossary of difficult words
to take with a grain/pinch of salt - to believe only part of something; to regard something as exaggerated;
to lock someone up - to put someone in prison;
distressed sale - the sale of assets in an urgent manner, often at a loss;
obsolescence - the state of being out of date;
egregious - outstandingly bad; shocking.