Czech Opposition Pushes No-Confidence Vote Over $45M Bitcoin Deal Scandal

The Czech government is facing strong backlash after it was revealed that nearly $45 million worth of Bitcoin, seized from a convicted criminal, was quietly sold by the Justice Ministry. 

The sale has now sparked a political storm, leading to the resignation of the justice minister and a call for a no-confidence motion in parliament.

$45 Million Bitcoin Scandal

The scandal started when the Czech Justice Ministry revealed it had auctioned nearly 500 Bitcoins. These digital assets were seized from Tomas Jirikovsky, an online drug dealer convicted in 2017. 

He had been in prison from 2017 to 2021 for drug trafficking, fraud, and illegal possession of weapons.

While the sale raised approximately 1 billion Czech koruna (about $45 million), the opposition argues that the transaction lacked proper transparency and oversight. 

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Blazek was criticized for accepting the funds without involving police or prosecutors to verify if the assets were legal, raising concerns about whether the government may have unintentionally legitimized money from criminal sources.