Czech opposition leader Andrej Babiš has called on Prime Minister Petr Fiala to resign over a growing scandal involving a controversial bitcoin donation to the Ministry of Justice, warning that his ANO movement will initiate a vote of no confidence if the government refuses to take responsibility.
Speaking during an extraordinary session of the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday, Babiš said the scandal had severely damaged the Czech Republic’s international reputation and undermined trust in public institutions. He claimed the case went beyond the resignation of Justice Minister Pavel Blažek and implicated other senior figures in Fiala’s government, including Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura.
Začala Sněmovna. Grilujeme premiéra a ministra financí za to, že vláda umožnila vstup do české veřejné sféry zločincům mezinárodního formátu. Na první fotce účast poslanců ANO, na druhé jsou pětikoaliční politici. Závěr? Za @P_Fiala už nestojí ani jeho nejbližší… pic.twitter.com/gsOXPCda4b
— Karel Havlíček (@KarelHavlicek_) June 5, 2025
“This government must resign, not only because of the economic damage they cause, but also because of the reputational harm caused by this case with international implications,” Babiš said.
The controversy centers on a bitcoin donation made by Tomáš Jiřikovský, a convicted drug trafficker and former operator of an online drug marketplace. After serving his sentence, Jiřikovský transferred a large portion of bitcoin, originally seized and later returned, to the Ministry of Justice, which auctioned it for nearly CZK 957 million (around €38.5 million).
Blažek maintained that courts had not proven the assets were linked to criminal activity, but stepped down last week amid mounting pressure.
Babiš alleged that the prime minister and finance minister either knew about or failed to properly address the issue. “You abused the Czech Republic together with Stanjura and Blažek,” he told the chamber of Fiala, adding that the government had failed to act in a transparent or accountable manner.
He dismissed a government-commissioned audit as insufficient, arguing that criminal proceedings were already underway and that authorities in the United States had also taken an interest in the case.
Alena Schillerová, vice-chair of ANO, criticized the government’s past proposals on cryptocurrency regulation and questioned how such transfers would be monitored going forward. “I want Minister Stanjura to explain how these transactions will be overseen in future so that something like this doesn’t happen again,” she said.
Other parties also voiced concern. The Pirate Party described the bitcoin affair as symptomatic of broader governance problems, with party chairman Zdeněk Hřib calling it “the tip of the iceberg.” The party has launched a petition for Stanjura’s resignation.
While Blažek’s resignation was intended to limit the fallout, Babiš insisted it was not enough. “If Prime Minister Fiala does not step down, ANO will call for a vote of no confidence,” he said.
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