Final Word from Thursday, October 20, 2016

Petr Nováček of Czech Radio said on his station's noon news yesterday that he heard from informed sources that campaign financing for certain political subjects could be part of the recent onslaught of Chinese investment here. He was explaining why the top four government officials (Zeman, Sobotka, Štěch, Hamáček) issued a joint statement in support of Czech policy toward China and indirectly condemned ministers for meeting with the Dalai Lama. Later on Czech TV, Nováček made it clear that campaign financing for both ČSSD and Zeman could be at stake. China is a rare occasion on which Zeman and ČSSD's top brass are in full agreement. Andrej Babiš's MFD identified lawyer Radek Pokorný, who is close to Sobotka and works for CEFC of China, as someone who is rumored to have been behind the joint statement. (He denied it.) Petr Kolář of Týden wrote this week that Sobotka's ties to Pokorný could perhaps be what brings Sobotka down. [Czech Republic Television Miloš Bohuslav Milan Jan]