Czech TV protects Petr Kellner

Václav Moravec announced at the start of OVM yesterday that the guests would talk about Miloš Zeman's trip to China, among other things. "How is the panda-Little Mole relationship going?" Moravec asked. "And who benefits from trade with China?" These two questions would necessitate a discussion of PPF's business activities. CNB Gov. Jiří Rusnok, as one of the guests, would be a good person to ask, given that both he and Petr Kellner were on the trip with Zeman. As finance minister, Rusnok also sold Kellner a stake in Česká pojišťovna. Kellner's Home Credit now controls one-third of the consumer-lending market in China, Zeman said last week, and Moravec could have asked Rusnok how this is possible given what the U.S. State Dept. calls the widespread corruption in China at every level. Yet Moravec dropped the issue entirely. He never asked any questions about the trip to China, and he didn't explain why once again ČT showed such deference to Kellner.