The Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic has convened an extraordinary session to hold a vote of no confidence in the government led by Prime Minister and ODS leader Petr Fiala. The session was called by the Speaker of the Chamber, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, at the request of the opposition.

The motion of no confidence was initiated by the ANO movement due to several scandals that, according to them, undermine the government's credibility. A key issue is the so-called "bitcoin affair," involving suspicions of improper handling of funds and potential violations of anti-money laundering regulations. The opposition accuses the government of incompetence and damaging public trust in institutions.

President Petr Pavel previously stated that a vote of no confidence in the government would be unfortunate, especially given the potential instability and the upcoming elections scheduled for October 3rd and 4th. If the government survives the vote, some analysts believe it would strengthen its position ahead of the elections and could be seen as a sign of its stability.

The exact duration of the session is not fixed, but the debate is expected to continue into tomorrow. A vote of no confidence requires an absolute majority (101 votes out of 200). Even if some members of the governing coalition leave the chamber, the opposition does not have enough votes. The ANO and SPD movements have a combined total of 91 members.

The new Minister of Justice, Eva Decroix (ODS), announced at a press conference before the extraordinary session that she had filed a complaint against the decision of the Regional Court in Brno, which allowed the return of seized electronic devices to Tomáš Jiřikovský, a person linked to the so-called "bitcoin affair." She considers this step necessary due to suspicions that the court's decision may have been in violation of legal regulations and ignored a binding ruling by the Supreme Court.

Tomáš Jiřikovský, who was previously convicted of embezzlement, drug trafficking, and illegal possession of weapons, donated bitcoins worth approximately one billion crowns to the Ministry of Justice in March 2025. This donation triggered a political crisis that led to the resignation of the then-Minister of Justice, Pavel Blažek (ODS). Based on the decision of the Regional Court in Brno, most of the seized electronic devices were returned to Jiřikovský, including devices containing access to bitcoin wallets. Decroix emphasized the need for transparency and restoring public trust in the judiciary at the press conference.

Former Minister of Justice Helena Válková (ANO), speaking to CNN Prima NEWS, stated that the decision of the Regional Court is not public, which makes it difficult to assess its legality, and that she is preparing questions for Decroix regarding the next steps. The Pirates propose that the new minister focus on legislation against the proceeds of crime.

The political situation is also complicated by internal disputes within the coalition. According to information from X, there was tension between Eva Decroix and Deputy Karel Dvořák (STAN), which had to be addressed by the leaders of ODS and STAN during a late-night meeting.

The decision of the Regional Court in Brno in January 2025, which allowed the return of electronic devices to Jiřikovský, was based on a previous ruling by the Supreme Court in 2023. This ruling overturned the original decision to completely wipe the data from the seized devices and ordered that the court individually assess the content of each device. According to the Supreme Court, a blanket data wipe could improperly infringe on the defendant's property rights. The Regional Court ultimately decided that only three computers would be wiped, while the other devices, including encrypted ones, were returned intact.

Tomáš Jiřikovský, who operated the illegal darknet marketplace Sheep Marketplace, was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2017. After being released on parole in 2021, he sought the return of confiscated electronic devices that contained access to bitcoins. He became the subject of attention after donating a portion of the cryptocurrency to the Ministry of Justice, not only due to the potential origin of the bitcoins but also due to suspicions that he had transferred a portion of the funds to unknown accounts before the official opening of the wallet in the presence of a notary.

gnews.cz - GH