PRAGUE, June 23 (Xinhua) -- A Czech appeals court on Monday overturned the acquittal of former prime minister Andrej Babis in a long-running case involving alleged misuse of European Union (EU) subsidies and ordered a retrial.
The case centers on Capi hnizdo ("Stork's Nest"), a farm and conference center that received nearly 50 million Czech crowns (2.3 million U.S. dollars) in EU funding. Prosecutors allege that Babis, founder of the Agrofert conglomerate and leader of the opposition ANO party, temporarily transferred ownership of the farm to family members over a decade ago to fraudulently qualify for subsidies intended for small and medium-sized businesses.
The Prague Municipal Court previously acquitted Babis in both 2023 and 2024. However, the Prague High Court now says important evidence was not adequately considered and has ordered the lower court to review the case again.
Judge Eva Brazdilova, who led the appeals panel, said the transaction appeared "deliberately organized to mislead authorities," and described the earlier ruling as "incomprehensible."
Also charged in the case is Jana Nagyova, Babis's adviser and now a Member of the European Parliament for ANO.
The ruling comes ahead of Czech parliamentary elections in October, in which Babis remains a leading political figure. He has rejected any wrongdoing and called the court's move "politically motivated." ■
