The trial against former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, accused of fraud for the alleged misuse of funds obtained from the European Union, began this Monday in the Czech Republic, where he appeared before the Municipal Court of Prague, the capital of the country .
The 68-year-old billionaire and founder of the Alliance of Disgruntled Citizens (ANO) party has assured that the case against him is “politically motivated”, especially now that he plans to stand as a candidate for the Czech Presidency elections.
His defense has condemned and rejected the reasons given by the accusation, which indicates that both he and his former adviser Jana Nagyova hid information when applying for EU subsidies, according to information from the newspaper ‘Mlada Fronta Dnes’.
The Prosecutor’s Office has accused Babis of obtaining a grant of 50 million euros for one of his companies, money that would have been used in part for the construction of the Stork’s Nest farm, a recreational complex.
At that time, Babis was at the head of the Agrofert business conglomerate, while the EU aid was intended for small and medium-sized companies. However, Agrofert proceeded to return the subsidy.
Babis, who was prime minister between 2017 and 2021, has repeatedly denied his guilt and considers the case an “artificial and deliberate” attempt to criminalize him in order to remove him from politics. His former adviser has also denied guilt.
Source: Europa Press
