A $45 million Bitcoin donation from a convicted dark web entrepreneur has ignited a major political storm in the Czech Republic. The donation, made by Tomáš Jiříkovský, a former drug trafficker and operator of an illegal online marketplace, has triggered calls for a no-confidence vote against the current government. The opposition is demanding accountability for what they call a “corruption scandal involving crypto assets.”
Jiříkovský, who served time for drug trafficking, fraud, and illegal weapons possession, donated 468 BTC (then worth approximately $45 million) to the Czech Justice Ministry. The donation was accepted by former Justice Minister Pavel Blazek, who subsequently liquidated the crypto into fiat and transferred the funds to the national treasury. Blazek resigned on May 31, 2025, amid growing political pressure over his role in accepting the controversial donation.
Although the funds were directed to the state and not the minister personally, the opposition claims that no proper AML or KYC checks were conducted on the origin of the Bitcoin. Lawmakers argue that the government failed to verify whether the funds were linked to Jiříkovský’s past illegal activities, thereby jeopardizing the country’s credibility on financial transparency and crypto regulation.
The incident has drawn comparisons to the infamous Silk Road case. Jiříkovský’s operations are being likened to those of Ross Ulbricht, the Silk Road founder who was convicted for running a drug trafficking marketplace. Ulbricht was pardoned by Donald Trump in January 2025, and recently received a mysterious 300 BTC donation, further fueling global concerns about dirty money infiltrating crypto markets.
The scandal comes at a delicate time for the Czech government, which has been positioning itself as a crypto-friendly jurisdiction under the EU’s new MiCA regulatory framework. Officials had hoped to attract blockchain companies and digital asset firms, but the current controversy risks tainting the country’s reputation as a safe haven for legitimate crypto businesses.
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