Transparency International sees decision not to prosecute Babiš as a decline in political culture

Thursday’s decision by the Chamber of Deputies not to authorize criminal prosecution of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) in the Čapí hnízdo subsidy case is viewed by the anti-corruption organization Transparency International (TI) as a decline in political culture. According to TI, the refusal to prosecute the prime minister creates an exceptionally negative image of the Czech Republic internationally and clearly signals that the values of the rule of law and high political integrity are not highly regarded. The organization said this in a press release today. TI has long criticized Babiš, whom the prime minister has called corrupt.

Babiš and his former advisor, now MEP Jana Nagyová, face charges over a 50-million CZK subsidy for the Čapí hnízdo complex near Olbramovice in Central Bohemia. The Prague Municipal Court twice acquitted them, but both verdicts were overturned by the High Court in Prague. In its most recent ruling in June last year, the court also instructed the municipal court to find the defendants guilty based on the evidence presented.