Eva Decroix Named New Czech Republic Justice Minister

Following weeks-long controversy of a $45 million Bitcoin donation from a convicted criminal, the prime minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, has appointed Eva Decroix as the new minister of justice, replacing Pavel Blazek.

In an X post dated June 09, 2025, Eva wrote in her native language that, “ I presented to the President today the steps taken to clarify the Bitcoin case and assured him that the legislative processes under the Ministry’s responsibility will be completed. I also asked the President to use his authority and mandate to calm the situation so that everything about the Bitcoin case is communicated based on facts, not assumptions and speculation.”

She added, “ In the first week after taking office, I want to present my intentions, including a timeline of steps.”

The donation of 468 Bitcoins to the Ministry of Justice has raised concerns, which further led to the resignation of the then Minister of Justice, Pavel Blazek

It is worth noting that the donation was orchestrated by Tomáš Jiřikovský, a jailed man who is also accused of operating Sheep Marketplace, which was quite similar to Silk Road.

As per some of the reports, the attorney of Tomáš approached the Minister of Justice offering half of the amount of Bitcoins as a donation for the Ministry of Justice, yet the donation was accepted by the minister.

With this donation, the Ministry of Justice auctioned these Bitcoins in May this year, and further, the funds were used for various state projects, including the digitization of the justice system.

Yet the reporting on the donation from a jailed and accused criminal has raised political and public backlash, and raised questions on how the ministry has accepted the donation.

As per experts, the Ministry of Justice under Tomáš failed to properly disclose the origin of Bitcoin, which helped others to accuse the minister and the ministry of a lack of transparency.

A quick overview of the Czech Republic crypto market

The Czech Republic has emerged as one of the most crypto-friendly nations in Europe, fueled by legislative reforms and changed sentiment of traders and investors.

As per the information on December 06, 2024, the parliament of the Czech Republic has unanimously passed the Financial Market Digitalization Act, signed by the president, Petr Pavel, on February 06, 2025

This law exempts individuals from capital gains tax on cryptocurrencies held for over 3 years; a survey in 2024 notes that the Czech Republic has a 12% adoption rate of crypto among adults.

Also in the background, there is a discussion of reserve allocation for Bitcoin, and experts argue that there are higher chances that nations might start buying crypto as a reserve asset.

Crypto-based businesses in the Czech Republic are required to register with the Trade Licensing Office under the Trade Act, as VASPs, covering activities like fiat to crypto exchanges, custodial services, and remittance.