Former Czech prime minister indicted; will stand trial for fraud and more

Former Czech prime minister indicted; will stand trial for fraud

Former prime minister of the Czech Republic and billionaire, Andrej Babiš, will stand trial after Czech prosecutors indicted him over an alleged 2 million euros fraud involving European Union subsidies for a farm in 2007.

Babiš allegedly transferred ownership of the farm from his conglomerate Agrofert, making it eligible for small business subsidies from the EU. Agrofert then regained possession of the farm after it had received the EU funding. Babiš denies any wrongdoing. The move to indict Babiš came after the country’s lower house voted to lift his immunity from prosecution.

Babiš’ party lost a bid for reelection in 2021 following the release of the Pandora Papers, which revealed how he’d used shell companies to buy luxury properties. (See “Former Czech PM, Andrej Babiš, to face trial in EU subsidy fraud case,” by the Associated Press in The Guardian, March 2, 2022, and “Andrej Babiš: Czech parliament lifts immunity of former prime minister over fraud,” Euronews with AP, AFP, March 3, 2022.)

Drilling for fraud