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The Czech Minister of Justice resigned after receiving a gift of 40 million euros in bitcoin from a former drug trafficker.
The minister received this amount from a man who had served a 4-year prison sentence for abuse, drug trafficking and illegal possession of weapons. This man was released from prison four years ago.
The minister then sold the cryptocurrencies at auction, raising around 40 million euros.
The origin of the cryptocurrencies is unknown, but Blazek argued that courts have never proven that they come from criminal activity.
"I am not aware of any illegality. But I do not want to damage the reputation of the ruling coalition," he said in a post on the X platform.
Authorities are investigating abuse of power and money laundering.
Blazek, 56, is a member of the right-wing ODS party of Prime Minister Petr Fiala, the head of the center-right governing coalition since 2021.
The opposition demanded the minister's resignation after the scandal became known on Wednesday.
Fiala commented that he is convinced that Blaze acted "in good faith" and that he considers his resignation "an act of responsibility."
The Czech Republic is heading towards parliamentary elections in the fall.
The opposition ANO movement of billionaire former prime minister Andrej Babis leads in the polls with around 30%, while the ODS comes in second with 20%.
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