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Czech authorities have announced the arrest of a convicted criminal related to the $45 million Bitcoin scandal that sent shockwaves through the country’s political landscape earlier this year.
Czech Convicted Trafficker’s Bitcoin Wallets Seized
On Friday, Czech media outlets revealed that Tomáš Jiřikovský, the convicted drug trafficker behind the controversial $45 million Bitcoin (BTC) donation to former Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blažek, has been detained after a police raid.
In a Thursday press release, Chief State Prosecutor Radim Dragoun informed that the Czech Police, the National Center against Organized Crime (NCOZ), and the Criminal Police and Investigation Service have been conducting an intensive investigation into the criminal case related to the Ministry of Justice scandal.
According to the press release, the criminal case involves “suspicion of the commission of the crime of legalization of proceeds from criminal activity under Section 216(1), (4)(b), (5)(b) and (c) of the Criminal Code and the crime of illegal production and other handling of narcotic and psychotropic substances and poisons under Section 283(1), 4(b) of the Criminal Code.”
Multiple local news outlets reported that the NCOZ and the High Public Prosecutor’s Office in Olomouc launched an overnight raid on Thursday, detaining Tomáš Jiřikovský during the operation.
Notably, Jiřikovský, who made the 468 Bitcoin donation, is a convicted criminal who founded the illegal marketplace Sheep Marketplace in 2013. He is also suspected of having generated 680 BTC from the platform and of having stolen approximately 840 BTC from buyers after shutting down the marketplace.
The darknet market, which was shut down in December 2013, was linked to drug trafficking, weapon sales, and counterfeit goods. Deník N reported that police intervened under dramatic circumstances in a house in Břeclav, where Jiřikovský resided.
The suspect allegedly escaped to the roof of the house during the raid, but police were able to secure him and took him away. The police also discovered and seized new Bitcoin wallets and tens of millions in cash, likely proceeds from criminal activity.
$45 million BTC Donation Scandal
In late May, the Czech political landscape was shaken after Justice Minister Pavel Blažek announced that the Justice Ministry had raised nearly 1 billion Czech koruna, approximately $45 million at the time, after selling 468 BTC.
As reported by Bitcoinist, Blažek accepted the generous donation in March after Jiřikovský’s lawyer contacted the minister, offering one-third of the criminal’s Bitcoin holdings. This decision ignited massive backlash from opposition leaders and the general public, who condemned Blažek for accepting the gift without investigating the origin of the funds.
Following the public outrage, the Justice Minister argued that he was not aware that the donation came from illegal activity. “I have no way of investigating this, and after so many years, it was not relevant to me,” he affirmed.
Nonetheless, multiple reports have linked the donation to the Nucleus darknet marketplace. Blažek repeatedly claimed that he had not committed any illegal acts, but stepped down from his position on May 30, leading police to launch the investigation
Bitcoin (BTC) trades at $117,332 in the one-week chart. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView
Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
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