Committee to decide on requests to lift Babiš and Okamura’s immunity on February 3

The Chamber of Deputies’ Mandate and Immunity Committee will decide on Tuesday, February 3, whether to recommend to the plenary that Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) and Chamber Speaker Tomio Okamura (SPD) be stripped of their immunity to face criminal prosecution. The committee announced the date on Tuesday, 20 January, and adjourned both items for the time being. Its chair, Helena Válková (ANO), told reporters she would not comment on the details of the discussions.

Babiš has previously said he will not consent to prosecution in the long-running Čapí hnízdo (Stork Nest) case, in which he was charged in 2017 over alleged subsidy fraud and damage to the EU’s financial interests.

Okamura faces possible prosecution over pre-election posters police say may have incited hatred.