Operating in a corrupt environment

The world added 13% more billionaires in the past year, according to Forbes, to 2,043, and the CR did even better. There are now six Czechs on the list, thanks to the dealmaking of new No. 1,030 Daniel Křetínský. Total net worth of the world's billionaires rose in a single year by 18%, to $7.67 trillion, according to Forbes, and Czechs did even better here too. The five Czechs already on the list last year (Petr Kellner, Andrej Babiš, Radovan Vítek, Karel Komárek, Pavel Tykač) increased their combined net worth in one year by 20.8%, to $21.5bn. Only Kellner and Babiš have been on the list ever since Kellner told MFD on April 10, 2012, that corruption was worse here than in Russia. Their combined net worth has risen 63% since then, to $15.6bn. When we take into account the dollar's appreciation since then from Kč 18.85 to Kč 25.00, the rise in their combined net worth in crown terms is 116%, to Kč 390bn. Some people simply know how to operate in a corrupt environment.