Czech court cancels for second time ruling that acquits former Prime Minister BabiS of fraud charges
AP image
PRAGUE: Prague's high court canceled for the second time on Monday a lower court ruling that acquitted former Prime Minister Andrej BabiS of fraud charges in a $2 million case involving a European Union subsidy.
The court returned the case for retrial to Prague's municipal court to deal with it, saying the lower court, which acquitted BabiS for the second time last year, did not properly assess evidence.
BabiS had pleaded not guilty and repeatedly said the charges against him were politically motivated. The prosecution had originally requested a suspended sentence and a fine to be paid by the populist billionaire who left the courtroom before the verdict was announced.
The municipal court acquitted Babis for the first time in 2023. Prague's high court later canceled that decision and ordered the case to be retried at the same court.
BabiS' former associate Jana Nagyova, who signed the subsidy request, will also face retrial.
The case centred around a farm known as the Stork's Nest, which received EU subsidies after its ownership was transferred from the BabiS-owned Agrofert conglomerate of around 250 companies to Babis' family members.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You
Villas in Dubai | Search Ads
Get Info
Undo
Later, Agrofert again took ownership of the farm.
The subsidies were meant for medium- and small-sized businesses, which Agrofert wouldn't have been eligible for. The conglomerate later returned the subsidy.
The lower court previously said what BabiS did was not considered criminal.
Babi has become part of the country's opposition after his populist ANO (YES) centrist movement lost the 2021 parliamentary election. He also contended for the largely ceremonial post of president in January 2023 but lost to Petr Pavel, a retired army general.
Monday's verdict comes just months before October's parliamentary election in which BabiS and his movement are predicted to win the vote.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
27 minutes ago
- Indian Express
US veteran's wife detained by immigration officers while still breastfeeding baby
A US Marine Corps veteran in Louisiana, US is struggling after his wife was detained by immigration officers while applying for a green card. Adrian Clouatre, a Marine Corps veteran, said his two children keep asking for their mother. His nearly two-year-old son asks where she is at bedtime, and his three-month-old daughter, who was breastfeeding, now has to be fed with a bottle. 'Mama will be back soon,' Clouatre tells his son. He said he worries about how the baby will bond with her mother while she is away. Clouatre's wife, Paola, is among thousands of people in custody and at risk of deportation as US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers aim to make 3,000 arrests a day under the Trump administration. Paola Clouatre, 25, is from Mexico. She came to the US with her mother over 10 years ago seeking asylum. She met Adrian, 26, in California in 2022 during the final months of his military service. The two married in 2024 and soon applied for a green card so Paola could live and work legally. Adrian Clouatre said to AP, 'I'm not very political, but I believe she deserves to live here legally.' He added, 'I'm all for getting the criminals out of the country, but people who are working hard and married to Americans that's always been a way to get a green card.' Things were going well with the green card process until officials found out there was a deportation order against Paola from 2018. That order was given after her mother missed an immigration hearing. Adrian said Paola had no idea about the order because she and her mother had not been in touch for years. During a green card appointment on 27 May, officials brought up the deportation order. Adrian said they were asked to wait in the lobby for more paperwork, but he believes it was a way to hold them until ICE officers arrived. Officers then arrested Paola and she handed her husband her wedding ring. Adrian now drives eight hours round trip to visit his wife at a detention centre in Monroe. The couple's lawyer, Carey Holliday, told AP, 'It's just a hell of a way to treat a veteran. You take their wives and send them back to Mexico?' The Clouatres are asking a judge to reopen Paola's case. They are waiting for an answer. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement to AP that Paola is in the country illegally and that the government will not ignore the law. US Citizenship and Immigration Services wrote on X that ignoring a deportation order is 'a bad idea' and that the government will not tolerate defiance. Adrian said the post was unfair because his wife came as a child seeking asylum and did not know about the order. Experts told AP that military families once had more protection from deportation, but this has changed.
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
MDA reclaims encroached land in west Mysuru by demolishing illegal structures
Mysuru: Mysuru Development Authority (MDA) reclaimed its encroached property by demolishing a few structures and removing the occupants early on Monday. About eight and a half acres of land worth Rs 160 crore was taken into possession under police cover. MDA special land acquisition officer KR Rakshith, who is the in-charge commissioner of MDA, informed TOI that the property was situated in a prime location in west Mysuru and attached to the Outer Ring Road. Temporary structures constructed by encroachers were demolished using earthmovers. The structures were built with the intention to grab the property that was acquired by the urban body in the early 1990s. The illegal occupants left their aged relatives and parents to avoid any legal complications involving themselves. The MDA team, which sought police protection for the operation, successfully evacuated them by removing all their belongings from the temporary sheds and safely vacated them from the spot. Earthmovers were used to bring down the sheds. According to Rakshith, the total value of the market is about Rs 160 crore. About two families, all aged people, lived on the MDA land. MDA would clean up the area and fence it to avoid any further encroachment of the land in Vijayanagar IV stage. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Top 25 Most Beautiful Women In The World Articles Vally An officer claimed the land, approximately 8 acres and 18 guntas, was acquired by the MDA (earlier Muda) in the early 1990s and award money was deposited in the court. "However, younger members of two families, claiming the land belonged to them, camped there for years," the officer said.
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
Shah reaches Varanasi, to chair central zonal council meet today
Varanasi: Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday arrived in Varanasi to chair the 25th Central Zonal Council meeting to be attended by chief ministers and officials of four states, on Tuesday. Shah was welcomed by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport. In a post in Hindi on X, Yogi said, "Hearty welcome to the honourable Union home and cooperation minister Shri Amit Shah ji in the holy city of Kashi, the abode of Devadidev Mahadev!" Varanasi divisional commissioner S Rajlingam said that following the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, all preparations had been made for the meeting. UP CM Yogi Adityanath, along with his counterparts Pushkar Singh Dhami from Uttarakhand, Mohan Yadav from Madhya Pradesh, Vishnu Deo Sai from Chhattisgarh, besides ministers and officials from these states, will participate in the meeting. The CZC meeting is being organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the ministry of home affairs, govt of India, in collaboration with the UP govt. Five zonal councils were established under Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 75% off installation for LeafFilter LeafFilter Gutter Protection Learn More Undo The Union home minister is the chairperson of zonal councils, and the CMs/lieutenant governors/administrators of the member states and Union Territories are their members. Among these members, the CM of one member state (rotating every year) acts as the vice-chairperson. From each member state, the governor nominates two ministers as members of the council. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised the need to leverage cooperative and competitive federalism for the all-round development of the country. With the belief that strong states make a strong nation, the zonal councils provide a structured mechanism for dialogue and discussion on issues affecting two or more states or the Centre and states, and through this, serve as an important platform to enhance cooperation," an official said. The zonal councils discuss broad issues of national importance, including the speedy investigation of cases of sexual offences against women and children and the implementation of fast track special courts (FTSC) for swift disposal; providing banking facilities in villages; implementation of Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112); and various regional-level issues like strengthening nutrition, education, health, electricity, urban planning, and cooperative system.
