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Czech police have reportedly detained convicted drug trafficker Tomas Jirikovsky and seized assets in an escalation of the investigation into a multi-million-dollar bitcoin donation to the Ministry of Justice that triggered a political crisis three months ago.
The National Centre for Combating Organised Crime conducted raids on Thursday as part of a case that prosecutors claim is now focused on suspected money laundering and illegal drug trafficking.
The investigation, which is being overseen by the High Public Prosecutor’s Office in Olomouc, was recently separated from a broader probe that was made public in May.
Jirikovsky, who local media identified as the donor of 468 bitcoin, valued at approximately $45 million at that time, was arrested at a property in Breclav, according to Echo24.
The donation, made earlier this year, was accepted by then-Justice Minister Pavel Blazek without verifying its origins.
Blazek resigned in May amid mounting criticism after it was disclosed by the media that the funds came from Jirikovsky, a convicted darknet operator who had previously been imprisoned for drug trafficking.
An audit commissioned by Blazek’s successor, Eva Decroix, concluded in July that the ministry should not have accepted the gift due to the significant risk that it represented proceeds of crime.
Prosecutors stated on Thursday that the ongoing investigation involves “acts to clarify the case as well as measures to secure persons and property,” indicating that no further details would be released to prevent jeopardizing the proceedings.
The scandal led to a no-confidence vote in June, which Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s government narrowly survived.
The opposition party ANO has called for additional ministerial resignations, including that of Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura.
Decroix has committed to publishing an expanded timeline of the case this week, which will include more than 8,000 entries, as scrutiny intensifies in advance of October’s parliamentary elections.
