Final Word from Monday, June 28, 2021

One interpretation of what happened on TV Prima yesterday between 11am and 1pm is that Pres. Miloš Zeman and PM Andrej Babiš laid the groundwork for getting rid of Michal Koudelka as head of the BIS counterintelligence when his term expires in Aug. In his strongest words yet, Zeman suggested first that the Babiš government is not looking for the truth in the Vrbětice matter and needs to explain how the same two Russian spies blew up two buildings more than one month apart. In the next hour, Babiš said that consideration can be given to following the advice of the opposition and leaving open the place of the chief prosecutor until a new government takes over. This model could then be used for filling Koudelka's position, he said. In other words, Igor Stříž might temporarily take on the duties of the chief prosecutor, with no Stork's Nest authority, and one of Koudelka's deputies might temporarily run BIS. Presumably someone with a different view on Vrbětice. [ Czech Republic supreme state prosecutor Pavel Zeman ]