Babiš urged not to run in elections due to court ruling

Coalition leaders are calling on opposition ANO chief Andrej Babiš not to run in October’s general elections after an appeals court upheld his indictment in the Stork’s Nest case. TOP 09 chair Markéta Pekarová Adamová pointed to the swift resignation of former justice minister Pavel Blažek over the bitcoin scandal, urging Babiš to show similar accountability. Coalition politicians say he should quit all public roles until the final verdict.

The case surrounding a 50-million-crown subsidy for the Stork’s Nest conference centre is set to return to the Prague City Court. An appellate court on Monday overturned a lower court’s February 2023 ruling, which had acquitted ANO party leader Andrej Babiš, along with his former adviser and current MEP for ANO, Jana Nagyová of fraud charges linked to a 50 million crown EU subsidy for the Stork’s Nest conference centre. Babiš maintains that he is not guilty of any wrongdoing.