Czech billionaire and former prime minister Andrej Babis returned to court on Wednesday to fight allegations of fraud over a 2 million euro subsidy, days before the start of the presidential election.
Babis has been a dominant force in Czech politics for the past decade, first as a powerful finance minister and later as prime minister, before opposition parties forced him to vote in the 2021 election despite winning the most seats in parliament. Unite them to unite.
With his party now in opposition, 68-year-old Babis is seeking to win the presidency and replace his frequent ally Milos Zeman, whose second term ends in March.
But the owner of Agrofert Chemicals, the farming, food and media conglomerate, has long faced allegations of conflict of interest because of his vast business empire, now sitting in a trust.
Babis’ lawsuit includes allegations that he illegally exploited EU subsidies to build the Stork’s Nest convention center near Prague by concealing his ownership in the project, before forming his ANO party in 2011.