Devadesátky - Příběh oběti Berdychova gangu – Mahdal Martin (2024)

The 1990s were very remarkable. The transformation of Eastern states, which until then belonged to the 'Eastern Bloc', took place in an atmosphere of lawlessness, spontaneous trading, corruption, and illegal fraud. Martin Mahdal knows this well, as you hold his personal testimony in your hands. Shortly after the revolution in 1989, he began trading in the Czech Republic and later, thanks to his contacts, in Eastern European countries, especially in Ukraine and the Baltics. Like many other enterprising individuals, he initially succeeded, buying cheaply in the East and selling decently elsewhere; it sounds bizarre that among his biggest deals was the purchase and sale of a Russian military submarine and Russian airplanes for a private travel agency. Otherwise, he sold everything that was available – and there was indeed a lot after the fall of the USSR. His courage to take risks ultimately helped him acquire a decent fortune. Everything might have seemed fine, if only... If only the 1990s weren't so remarkable. It took little for Mahdal to become a victim of the then underworld and corrupt officials. It started with intrusive inspections from the tax office, continued with extortion, and ultimately ended in fraud, which led him to prison for alleged tax evasion. Only later, after serving his sentence, did he learn that...