Czech parliament blocks prosecution of Babiš and Okamura

On Thursday, the lower house of the Czech parliament rejected a court request to strip Prime Minister Andrej Babiš of his immunity in a long-running case of alleged fraud involving European Union subsidies.

The leader of the ANO party returned to power after winning elections in October last year. The case concerns a subsidy of about two million euros granted in 2008 for the construction of the Čapí hnízdo hotel and conference centre near Prague, before Babiš entered politics.

Prosecutors allege that he concealed his ownership of the company so that the project would meet the conditions for subsidies intended for small businesses.

ANO MPs, together with their coalition partners from the SPD party and the Motorists movement, voted against lifting Babiš’s immunity. The decision means the prime minister is protected from prosecution until the end of the parliamentary term in 2029.

Babiš denies the allegations and claims the case is politically motivated. According to him, traditional political parties are trying to weaken his influence.

Parliament also refused to strip SPD leader Tomio Okamura of his immunity. He faces charges of hate speech. Okamura called the charges ‘an attempt to criminalise the political opposition’.

(reuters, est)