BY Rosemary
Lawmakers in the Czech Republic on Thursday voted to block an effort that would have allowed prosecutors to move forward with criminal proceedings against Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in a long-running fraud investigation tied to European Union subsidies.
In a closely watched vote inside the country’s 200-seat lower chamber of parliament, legislators rejected a motion seeking to strip Babiš of his parliamentary immunity, a step that would have permitted a Prague court to continue legal proceedings against the prime minister. The motion failed by a vote of 104 to 81, with one lawmaker abstaining and 14 members absent from the session.
The decision effectively halts any immediate legal action against Babiš in the case, as members of parliament are shielded from prosecution while they remain in office unless lawmakers vote to lift their immunity. Because Babiš is currently serving a term in the lower house that runs until 2029, the outcome means the trial cannot proceed until that mandate expires unless parliament revisits the matter and approves a new request.
The case had been set to return to Prague’s Municipal Court, which previously examined the allegations twice and acquitted Babiš on both occasions. However, those rulings were later overturned by an appeals court that said the earlier judgments failed to adequately evaluate the evidence presented during the proceedings. The appellate court ordered a retrial and instructed the lower court to reassess the case, indicating that it believed the previous evaluations of the evidence were insufficient.
By refusing to lift the prime minister’s immunity, lawmakers have delayed that retrial and prevented the court from issuing a new verdict for the time being.
Babiš has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with the case and has argued that the investigation is driven by political motives rather than legitimate legal concerns. Speaking about the allegations in the past, the billionaire businessman-turned-politician has maintained that the accusations against him are part of a campaign aimed at undermining his political influence.
“I have always said the case is clearly politically motivated,” Babiš has argued, insisting that the claims against him are unfounded.
Prosecutors had previously sought a suspended prison sentence and a financial penalty if Babiš were convicted.
At the center of the case is a leisure and conference complex known as the Stork’s Nest farm, a project that received around $2 million in subsidies from the European Union intended to support small and medium-sized businesses. Investigators alleged that the subsidy was improperly obtained because the project was connected to the vast Agrofert conglomerate, a major holding company previously owned by Babiš.
According to prosecutors, the ownership structure of the Stork’s Nest project was temporarily shifted away from Agrofert to members of Babiš’ family in order to qualify for the subsidy program, which excludes large corporations. After the funding was secured, the farm was later reintegrated into the Agrofert group.
Supporters of Babiš have argued that the arrangement was lawful and that the project met the requirements at the time the subsidy was granted. Agrofert later returned the subsidy funds, though critics say that does not resolve the underlying questions surrounding how the funding was obtained.
While Babiš himself has avoided immediate prosecution due to the parliamentary vote, one of his former associates connected to the case will still face further legal proceedings. Jana Nagyová, who signed the original subsidy request linked to the Stork’s Nest project, is scheduled to stand trial again.
Nagyová currently serves as a member of the European Parliament, but lawmakers in that body have already voted to remove her immunity, clearing the way for the retrial to proceed.
The controversy surrounding the subsidy case comes at a time when Babiš has recently consolidated his political position. The prime minister returned to power after his political movement, ANO — whose name translates to “YES” — secured a major victory in parliamentary elections held in October.
Following the election, Babiš formed a governing coalition with two smaller political parties, including the anti-immigration Freedom and Direct Democracy party led by Tomio Okamura and the right-leaning Motorists party. Together, the coalition commands a working majority in the lower chamber, allowing the government to advance its legislative agenda.
That political majority played a key role in Thursday’s vote, as members aligned with the governing coalition largely opposed the effort to lift the prime minister’s immunity.
The Babiš government has outlined a number of controversial policy priorities since returning to office. Among them are plans to reduce the country’s support for Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia and to challenge certain European Union policies that the coalition argues undermine national sovereignty.
The parliamentary session also addressed another high-profile legal request involving Okamura. Lawmakers declined to approve a motion that would have allowed prosecutors to pursue charges against the lower house speaker on allegations of inciting hatred.
That decision means Okamura, like the prime minister, will remain protected by parliamentary immunity while serving in office.
The twin decisions underscored the influence of the governing coalition in parliament and highlighted the political tensions surrounding ongoing legal cases involving some of the country’s most prominent political figures.
For critics of the government, the votes raise concerns about whether legal accountability is being delayed for political reasons. Supporters of the coalition, however, argue that parliamentary immunity is an essential safeguard designed to prevent politically motivated prosecutions from being used as a weapon against elected officials.
With the immunity issue settled for now, the legal proceedings against Babiš are effectively frozen, leaving the future of the high-profile subsidy case uncertain and likely to remain a subject of political debate in the Czech Republic for years to come.
Original article
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