Final Word from Monday, September 14, 2015
When the Arbitration Court ordered Jan Světlík of Vítkovice to pay Kč 1.85bn to David Beran in a business dispute, Světlík refused and called the ruling an outrageous fraud. Beran responded that this is absurd and would mean the entire Arbitration Court had to be rigged. Some critics of the Court would say Beran hit the nail on the head. As long as two businessmen are fighting, the public has little reason to care, but when the state becomes a victim of arbitration shenanigans, it's a different matter. That's the situation Czech Railways could find itself in this week. It's seeking a Kč 940m fine from Škoda Transportation for late delivery of a locomotive, but Škoda filed a counterclaim for Kč 1.4bn and is apparently going to win. Did someone rig the Court? Ask lawyer Radek Pokorný. He represents Škoda Transportation, yet as vice president of the Court, he also helped choose the arbiters. And ČSSD complains of Andrej Babiš's conflicts of interest.... [Czech Republic Czech Chamber of Commerce Agrarian Agricultural]
Glossary of difficult words
to rig - to manage or conduct something fraudulently so as to produce a result or situation that is advantageous to a particular person;
to hit the nail on the head - to get it right; to speak the truth;
shenanigans - secret or dishonest activity or maneuvering;
counterclaim - a claim made to rebut a previous claim;
arbiter - a person who settles a dispute or has ultimate authority in a matter.