Regional Development Minister says no reason why Czechia "should not fight to last breath" over audit

The European Commission audit allegedly stating that Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is in a conflict of interest is not final and there is no reason why the Czech Republic should not "fight to the last breath" Regional Development Minister Klára Dostálová told journalists during a press conference on Tuesday. She said the Czech Republic will now use the two month deadline set out by the European Commission, to examine the document. Mrs. Dostálová also stressed that if Czech officials do not agree with some of the audit’s conclusions, these could be brought up at a special European Commission hearing. She also did not rule out the possibility of appealing to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

According to a statement provided by a European Commission spokesperson for Czech Radio on Monday, the audit is final and the Czech Republic has two months to tell Brussels how it intends to implement the auditors’ recommendations. However, Mrs. Dostálová said today that the original letter sent with the audit stated that the Czech Republic needs to express whether it agrees with it.