Babiš says he currently sees no reason to apply for screening certificate

The leader of ANO Andrej Babiš says he has not yet applied for a screening certificate that would confirm he had not collaborated with the StB secret police under communism. Mr. Babiš’s party came second in general elections and he would need what is called a lustration certificate if he is to become a government minister. On Tuesday he said he as yet had no reason to apply for one. The Slovak-born billionaire is engaged in a legal battle with a Slovak newspaper which reported that he had collaborated with the StB. The agency that handles the country’s StB files says the secret police registered him as an agent in 1980, a charge Mr. Babiš strongly denies.