A real pro

Viewers of Czech TV's late-night news program were treated to a rare event on Fri. It's not often that viewers get to see a high-ranking Czech official in action who also happens to be a convicted criminal. As MFD noted on Fri., Radek Šnábl has remained in a top position at the finance ministry despite having been found guilty in April of VAT-related fraud. He was one link in a chain of companies that reclaimed VAT on computers that were never exported. His TV appearance was remarkable for how he showed no remorse (except for being "unjustly" convicted), how he confused the tax-fraud issue by glossing over the difference between corporate and personal tax obligations, and how he vowed to tender his resignation to his minister, Eduard Janota (who knew nothing about the conviction), only after he was unmasked. In short, Šnábl showed many of the attributes of a professional criminal.