Železný to stand for Libertas in European elections despite tax conviction

Former media magnate and MEP Vladimir Železný is to remain a candidate for the eurosceptic party Libertas.cz in June’s European elections, despite having recently been found guilty of tax evasion by the High Court in Prague. After being handed a two-year suspended sentence on Monday, Mr Železný said he would withdraw from Libertas’s list of candidates. But, on Wednesday, his resignation was rejected by senior party officials. Mr Železný is Libertas’s number-two candidate in June’s European Parliament elections. Former Civic Democrat rebel Vlastimil Tlustý, who helped topple the government in March, tops the list of Libertas candidates, while fellow former Civic Democrat Jan Schwippel is the third candidate being fielded by the party.

Author: Rosie Johnston