Czech poll winner under cops lens
Prague, Nov. 21: The Czech police are seeking to reopen the prosecution against billionaire Andrej Babis in a fraud case tied to European Union subsidies, potentially complicating his efforts to create a government after his ANO party dominated October elections.
The police filed a request to Parliament to strip Mr Babis of his immunity on Tuesday. Prosecutor spokeswoman Stepanka Zenklova declined to name the billionaire, but said the request was linked to the case in which Mr Babis and one of his closest allies were charged before the elections renewed their protection from trial. Mr Babis lashed out at his political rivals, repeating that he has done nothing wrong and saying the case was fabricated to stop him from taking power.
The request, filed a day after Parliament opened its inaugural session, shows the peculiar position for Mr Babis in his effort to take power.
Mainstream parties have rejected cooperating with him because of the criminal investigation.
Mr Babis has been forced to try to form a minority cabinet that may rely on backing from fringe parties.
“All police steps, including today’s quick filing, convince me that this is purely a political case,” Babis said. “The speed at which they’re going after me is again only proving how much the corrupt system fears me.”
— Agencies