The police suspect Marek Dalík of attempting to arrange an
€18m bribe for the Topolánek government in 2007, but they
can't prove involvement by politicians, so they're charging him
with attempted fraud. Some people are calling this an Al Capone
strategy (he was nailed on tax evasion). We don't mean to be
nitpickers, but charging someone with a crime that is very
similar to the main one isn't really an Al Capone strategy. They
would have to charge Dalík with some entirely separate crime,
such as perjury. By sheer coincidence, he told the court
yesterday that his family and assets are only in the CR, so he
doesn't pose a flight risk. But what about that villa in Tuscany,
dear defendant? Aren't you by chance the beneficial owner, even
if some foundation is listed on the deed? If we read Para. 346 of
the criminal code right, this little fib could send Dalík away for
up to three years. And once the state prosecutors hone their
skills at tracking down beneficial owners, they can use the same
Al Capone strategy to get people linked to DP Praha.