Yigit Taha OZTURK 
Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blazek has stepped down after public outrage erupted over the ministry’s sale of nearly $45 million worth of Bitcoin, originating from convicted criminal Tomas Jirikovsky. The digital assets—almost 500 BTC—were auctioned to support projects like prison staff housing, digitizing the legal system, and tackling drug abuse in prisons.
Minister Accepted Crypto With No Questions Asked
In March, Jirikovsky’s lawyer contacted Blazek to offer a third of the Bitcoin as a donation. Blazek accepted without investigating the cryptocurrency’s origins. At a press conference, he admitted, “I wasn’t interested so many years after the case.” But critics slammed the move as irresponsible, and authorities have now opened an official investigation.
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Government Distances Itself
Jirikovsky, convicted in 2017 for drug trafficking and other crimes, has been trying to reclaim 1,500 BTC seized during his arrest. Czech law enforcement suspected links to the now-defunct dark web marketplace Nucleus. As the backlash intensified, Prime Minister Petr Fiala distanced himself from Blazek. Facing rising political pressure, Blazek resigned on May 30, stating he did not want to harm the government’s image.
This controversy comes just months after the Czech President signed a major crypto law aligned with the EU’s MiCA framework—intended to clarify regulations and support innovation in the digital asset space.
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