Andrej Babiš

Andrej Babiš
MP
12th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
Assumed office
6 December 2017
President Miloš Zeman
Deputy Richard Brabec
Martin Stropnický (2017-18)
Jan Hamáček
Preceded by Bohuslav Sobotka
First Deputy Prime Minister
In office
29 January 2014 – 24 May 2017
Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka
Preceded by Jan Fischer
Succeeded by Richard Brabec
Minister of Finance
In office
29 January 2014 – 24 May 2017
Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka
Preceded by Jan Fischer
Succeeded by Ivan Pilný
Leader of ANO 2011
Assumed office
11 May 2012
Preceded by Position established
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
Assumed office
26 October 2013
Personal details
Born (1954-09-02) 2 September 1954
Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
(now Slovakia)
Citizenship Czech Republic, Slovakia[1]
Political party Communist Party (1980–1989)
ANO 2011 (2012–present)
Spouse(s) Beata Adamovičová (divorced)
Monika Babišová (2017–present)
Children 4
Residence Kramář's Villa
Alma mater University of Economics, Bratislava
Net worth US$4.04 billion (in 2017)[2]

Andrej Babiš (Czech pronunciation: [ˈandrɛj ˈbabɪʃ]; born 2 September 1954) is a Czech politician of Slovak origin who has been the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic since December 2017, and previously served as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy from January 2013 to May 2017. Before entering politics, he was a businessman and entrepreneur.

Babiš was born in Bratislava in present-day Slovakia, and moved to the Czech Republic following the Velvet Revolution. The second richest man in the Czech Republic with an estimated net worth of about $4.04 billion according to Bloomberg,[2] he is a former CEO and sole owner of the Agrofert group, which owns two of the largest Czech newspapers, Mladá fronta DNES and Lidové noviny.[3] Babiš has led ANO 2011 since founding it in 2012 as a protest movement against established politics. He has been a member of the Chamber of Deputies (MP) since 2013. Babiš was sacked from the government by Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka on 24 May 2017 after a month-long coalition crisis triggered by allegations that Babiš avoided paying taxes as CEO of Agrofert in 2012.

Following the 2017 legislative election, which resulted in a hung parliament with no possible coalitions, Babiš was appointed Prime Minister on 6 December 2017 and a week later formed a minority government composed of ANO party members and independents. He became the oldest and wealthiest person ever to assume the premiership, as well as the first Prime Minister in the history of the Czech Republic to be from a different party than ODS or ČSSD. On 16 January 2018, his government lost motion of confidence vote (78 MPs for while 117 against) in the Chamber of Deputies and he resigned the following day. His second cabinet, confirmed by the Chamber of Deputies on 12 July 2018, is the first government since the fall of Communism in 1989 to rely on support from the Communist Party.[4]

Babiš had been under investigation by both Czech Police and OLAF from 2015 to 2017 amid allegations that an anonymous company he controlled unlawfully received €2m subsidy from the European Union. In September 2017, he was stripped his parliamentary immunity after a police request in connection with the case and Babiš was formally charged on 9 October 2017.[5] OLAF concluded its investigation in December 2017 stating it has found irregularities and endorsed the steps taken by the Czech Police.[6] Due to his re-election in the 2017 election he regained his parliamentary immunity and the Chamber of Deputies voted again to lift it on 19 January 2018.[7] As well as alleged fraud, Babis is the subject of sustained criticism from political opponents and the media regarding a number of issues, including conflict of interest, his past role in the communist secret police, and allegations of intimidation of opponents. Despite this, Babiš remains one of the most popular politicians in the Czech Republic.[8][9][10][11]

Early life and career

Babiš was born on 2 September 1954 to a Slovak family in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (present-day Slovakia). His father, a diplomat and member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, represented Czechoslovakia during the negotiation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in Geneva and as a consultant at the United Nations.[12][13] He is nephew of Ervin and Viera Scheibner.[14][15]

Babiš spent part of his childhood abroad, and was educated in Paris and Geneva.[16] Later, he studied at a gymnasium in Bratislava and continued to the University of Economics, where he studied international trade. In 1978, after graduating, he joined the Slovak communist controlled international trade company, Chemapol Bratislava, which later became Petrimex. In 1985 he was appointed as the organisation's representative in Morocco.[17][16] He joined the Communist Party in 1980.[16] He has been accused of being a "powerful agent" for the Czechoslovak secret state security service, StB, during the 1980s, as well as being a KGB officer.[18]

Business career

Headquarters of Agrofert in Chodov, Prague.

Babiš returned from Morocco to Czechoslovakia in 1991, after the Velvet Revolution,[16] and settled in the Czech Republic after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.

In January 1993, Babiš became managing director of a newly established Petrimex subsidiary operating in the Czech Republic, Agrofert.[19][20] He had suggested establishing Agrofert while he was a director at Petrimex, during which time Agrofert was recapitalised by OFI, a company of unknown ownership based in Baar, Switzerland,[21] which took control of Agrofert from Petrimex. Petrimex later fired Babiš and sued him, unsuccessfully, for allowing the firm's stake in Agrofert to be diluted.[21] Soon thereafter, Babiš emerged as the 100% owner of Agrofert.[22] The source of the initial financing for Babiš's takeover of Agrofert from Petrimex was still undisclosed as of the start of 2016,[16] although Babiš has said that the money came from his Swiss former schoolmates.[23]

Babiš gradually developed Agrofert into one of the largest companies in the country,[21] starting as a wholesale and trading firm, but later acquiring various agricultural, food processing, and chemical companies. In 2011 Agrofert Holding consisted of more than 230 companies,[24] mainly in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Germany. It is the fourth largest company in the Czech Republic by revenue, exceeding CZK 117 billion. The history of Agrofert, detailed in a book by the journalist Tomáš Pergler, is closely linked to its control of the Czech petrochemicals industry. One reviewer of the book said the account "captures much of what has led Czechs to the conviction that they live in a corrupted, clientist country – and (paradoxically) then to vote for the ANO movement."[16] When Babiš entered politics he resigned as CEO, but remained sole owner until February 2017, when he was legally obliged to put his companies in trust in order to remain as Minister of Finance.[24]

While Babiš's business activities initially focused mainly on agriculture,[17] he later acquired a large empire of media companies. In 2013, Agrofert purchased the company MAFRA, publisher of two of the biggest Czech newspapers, Lidové noviny and Mladá fronta DNES, and operator of the Óčko television company.[25] Agrofert also owns Radio Impuls, the most listened to radio station in the Czech Republic (as of late 2014).[26][27] These acquisitions have led critics to question Babis's political motives,[28] amid accusations that he was amassing too much power, and that the media outlets he controls publish sympathetic coverage of him.[29]

Political career

Babiš with Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz in February 2015

In 2011, Babiš founded his party, ANO 2011, "to fight corruption and other ills in the country's political system".[28] The party contested the legislative elections in October 2013 and emerged as the second largest party, with 47 seats (of 200) in the Chamber of Deputies. The American political consulting firm, Penn Schoen Berland, was credited with the party's successful result.[30][31]

In the subsequent coalition government, formed of the Social Democrats, ANO, and the Christian Democrats, Babiš served as the Minister of Finance.[32] During his tenure in this role, Babiš introduced controversial policies such as electronic registration of sales, known as EET, proposed reverse charging of value-added tax, and VAT control statement for companies. His critics claimed he was tightening regulations on small and medium-sized enterprises and sole proprietorship while turning a blind eye to big corporations, to the benefit of his own Agrofert holding.[33] During this time he stated many times that he would like to be the next Prime Minister of the Czech Republic if ANO 2011 led the government.[34]

In May 2015, after the government's decision to extend reduced taxation of biofuels (a segment of the fuel market controlled significantly by companies in the Agrofert portfolio), the opposition initiated a vote of no confidence against the cabinet.[35] On 26 May 2015 while speaking to the Chamber of Deputies, Babiš said that he was forced to enter politics because of "corrupted opposition" (referring to the ODS) that "created him".[36] In November 2016, Babiš criticized alleged links among CEFC China Energy, the Czech Social Democratic Party, and Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka,[37] saying that CEFC's focus on private Czech companies "brings no yield to the Czech Republic."[38]

European migrant crisis

In September 2015, deputy prime minister Babiš called for NATO intervention against human trafficking in the Mediterranean.[39] After talks on the migrant crisis with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Babiš said that "NATO is not interested in refugees, although Turkey, a NATO member, is their entrance gate to Europe and smugglers operate on Turkish territory".[40]

Babiš rejected the European Union's refugee quotas,[41] saying: "I will not accept refugee quotas [for the Czech Republic]. ... We must react to the needs and fears of the citizens of our country. We must guarantee the security of Czech citizens. Even if we are punished by sanctions."[42] After the 2016 Berlin attack he said that "unfortunately... [Angela Merkel's open-door migration] policy is responsible for this dreadful act. It was she who let migrants enter Germany and the whole of Europe in uncontrolled waves, without papers, therefore without knowing who they really are."[43][44]

2017 government crisis

Andrej Babiš was sacked from the government by Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka on 24 May 2017 after a month-long coalition crisis triggered by allegations that Babiš avoided paying taxes as CEO of Agrofert in 2012.

Prime Minister (2017–present)

Andrej Babiš during his first full day in office with Visegrad Group leaders on 14 December 2017 at the European Council.

Following the 2017 election to the Chamber of Deputies, in which ANO 2011 won with 29% of the vote, and won 78 out of 200 seats, President Miloš Zeman asked Babiš to form a government. The Civic Democratic Party and other parties refused to join a coalition government with Babis, citing the ongoing criminal investigation into alleged EU subsidy fraud and, as a result, on 27 October 2017 Babiš announced that he would try to form a minority government. Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and the Communist Party voiced their willingness to join the government, but were refused by Babiš.[45]

On 6 December 2017, Babiš was appointed the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. He assumed the office on 13 December 2017, when his government took full control of the executive government. He is the only incumbent head of government to be charged with a crime by the Czech police and prosecutor, as well as both the oldest and the wealthiest Prime Minister in the country's history, and the first Prime Minister from a party other than ODS and ČSSD.

During his first days in office, he attended the European Council summit dealing with fiscal responsibilities, Brexit and migration,[46] and spoke on the phone with new Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki regarding the invocation of the Article 7 by the European Commission.[47] His government carried out personnel changes at the ministries, Czech Railways and the Railway Infrastructure Administration.[48]

On 16 January 2018, Babiš's cabinet lost a vote of no confidence by 117 votes to 78.[49]

In February 2018, his cabinet approved the European Fiscal Compact and sent it to the Chamber of Deputies for further approval.[50] They also proposed changes to the Civil Service Act, which has been the subject of controversy since it was passed in 2015 by Bohuslav Sobotka's government, in which Babiš served as Minister of Finance.[51]

Babiš with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, 16 May 2018

After losing the confidence vote, Babiš's administration continued to carry out personnel changes, meeting with criticism from the opposition. Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch fired Svatopluk Němeček, a former Minister and head of the University Hospital in Ostrava, as well as the director of the Bulovka Hospital. Minister of Industry and Trade Tomáš Hüner and Minister of Interior Lubomír Metnar fired the heads of CzechInvest and Czech Post, respectively.[52]

In March 2018, Babiš ordered three Russian diplomats to leave the country in a show of solidarity with the United Kingdom after a former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal was poisoned in Salisbury.[53]

In June 2018, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that there had been "no moral or political justification" for the post-war expulsion of ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia. Babiš responded: "I reject this characterisation – especially when we recall the horrors of Heydrich, Lidice, Ležáky and the killing of our paratroopers. I have the feeling that there is some internal political struggle in Germany now, and it is very unfortunate that old wounds are opening because of it."[54]

In the summer of 2018, Babiš reached a coalition agreement with the Social Democrats. The new cabinet took office after winning a confidence vote on 12 July 2018, with support from the Communist Party.[55]

Controversies

State Security Police (StB) agent

According to the documents of the National Memory Institute in Slovakia, Babiš collaborated with the State Security Police (StB) of communist Czechoslovakia, under the code name agent Bureš. He denies the accusations, and in 2012 sued the institute for defamation. In January 2018, the Bratislava regional court ruled definitively that Babiš was an StB agent. This final court case may not be appealed.[56][57]

Twelve unrelated cases investigated by StB from 1982 to 1985 were associated with the code name Bureš, according to the Slovak National Memory Institute.[58] Babiš appeared once at the court during the process.[59] The District Court in Bratislava issued a ruling on 26 June 2014 that there was insufficient evidence to put Andrej Babiš on a list of intentional cooperators with StB.[60][61] The decision was criticised in the Slovak press,[61] and the National Memory Institute announced it would appeal to a higher court.[62] On 30 June 2015, Bratislava's County Court upheld the verdict,[63] but in October 2017 the Slovak Constitutional Court upheld the National Memorial Institute's appeal, annulling the earlier court decisions and finding that Babiš had been an agent of the former communist secret police.[64]

Babiš has also been accused of using his StB background and Communist Party connections to enrich himself. Babiš has denied that he was a StB collaborator, but his close associates include Czech lawyer Libor Široký, now chairman of Agrofert's supervisory board, who is reportedly also a former member of one of the StB units most closely linked to the Soviet KGB.[16] Critics who accuse him of KGB connections also point to his alleged support for the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, and his opposition to international sanctions against Russia. When a Lebanese arms dealer with alleged Russian connections was released by Czech authorities instead of being extradited to the United States, and it was revealed that every official involved in the release was an ANO party member or was associated with Babis, he was again accused of having an allegiance to Russia.[65][66][67][68] Opposition MP Miroslav Kalousek said that it no longer mattered what information the Slovak National Memory Institute had about Babiš, because his behaviour as a politician had proven his StB training.[69]

In March 2015, Babiš condemned Russia's annexation of Crimea.[70] In October 2015 Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist specializing in Russian and Eastern European affairs, listed Babiš among several Eastern European leaders who she considered to be agents of influence for Putin's Russia. Writing in The Washington Post, she suggested that old labels from Soviet Communist days, such as "useful idiots" and "fellow travelers", were no longer adequate to describe Babis and the other figures she had named. To illustrate her point, she listed several quotes from each leader that sounded very similar to each other and to the arguments broadcast at the same time by official Russian news sources.[71]

Babiš responded to Applebaum with a letter to The Washington Post stating that he had no friends in Russia and was an American ally. US journalist Gabriel Meyr challenged those claims by citing three examples of actions Babiš has taken that have furthered Russian policy goals,[72] such as a Czech government loan guarantee to a Russian company with a record of defaults,[73] owned by a close friend of President Putin.[74] Another example was the Czech Finance Ministry's continued racing of the thoroughbred horses owned by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, a close ally of Putin, even though he is under international sanctions.[75] The final example was that Babis had disclosed in 2007 that Agrofert was negotiating to purchase gas from the Czech subsidiary of Gazprom instead of its German supplier.[76]

In February 2016, on the day commemorating the Communist takeover in 1948, hundreds of protesters opposed to Babiš gathered in Wenceslas Square to protest that Babiš was advancing an agenda that would infringe Czech freedoms, described by leaders of the protest as a quiet revolution, happening in gradual steps.[77]

EU subsidies fraud

Babiš was accused of illegally obtaining €2 million in EU subsidies designated for small businesses by concealing his ownership of a farm and a convention center called "Storks Nest".[78] Czech police requested that the Lower House lift his parliamentary immunity on two occasions, in September and November 2017.[79] In both cases the Lower House lifted the immunity and the police have initiated criminal proceedings.[80] He is accused of the crime of alleged fraud (§212,Criminal Code, 2009) and of wilful damage to the financial interests of the European Union (§ 260, Criminal Code, 2009) in the criminal conspiracy (§ 89, Art.17, Crime Code (the Czechoslovakian Criminal Code, 1961).[81]

This case was investigated by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). OLAF's final report was delivered to the Czech officers of the Ministry of Finance on 27 December 2017.[82][83] Journalist Sabina Slonková published a report of the results on the website Neovlivni.cz on 3 January 2018, concluding that OLAF's final report confirmed the results of the investigation by the Czech Police and prosecutors that the fraud was planned from the beginning.[84] The complete text of the final report translated into Czech was published on the website aktualne.cz on 11 January 2018, with a commentary by Vladimir Piskacek, one of the directors of the Economia AS media company, which publishes Hospodářské noviny, defending the right to publish information openly.[85]

Partnership with Zeman

Babiš has been linked closely to President Miloš Zeman since at least 2001, when Zeman was Prime Minister, and his business interests are alleged to have benefited from the association. In 2001, Zeman oversaw the sale of Unipetrol, a state-owned chemical company, to Babiš. Babiš pulled out of the sale, but later oversaw the sale of the firm to a Polish company. According to Polish reports, the sale was accompanied by substantial bribery, although Babis denies any bribes were paid.[29][86] The Unipetrol deal is cited often as evidence of a strong partnership between Babiš and Zeman that persists.[87]

Conflicts of interest

Connections between companies in the AGROFERT portfolio

Babis has been criticized by media and opposition politicians for his alleged conflict of interest,[88][89] as the Minister of Finance and the owner of companies subsidized by EU funding programmes. During a visit to the Czech Republic in March 2014, the German Member of the European Parliament Ingeborg Gräßle expressed concern that someone with such a personal financial interest simultaneously being a leading representative of a state, could not guarantee to the EU that its resources are properly distributed.[90] A 2014 article in the political newspaper Politico commented that "the Czech Republic is now a paradox: a society disgusted with corruption has given huge power to a man whose business interests amount to the biggest conflict of interest in the country’s post-1989 history."[16]

In May 2015, Babis's alleged financial irregularities and accusations from the public and the opposition that he had promoted his companies in government procurements triggered a vote of no confidence against the Bohuslav Sobotka's government, called by the opposition parties ODS, TOP 09, and Dawn. The motion was defeated by 47-105.[91]

On 5 June 2015, a retired senior American intelligence officer published an opinion article using Babiš as an example of a corrupt politician with conflicts of interest and probable ties to Russia. In the article, he speculated whether United States government investigations into bribery and corruption in FIFA may herald more aggressive investigation of other corrupt practices. The article mentioned that several investigations had been launched by a team of police and prosecutor, which were questionable cases that did not hold up in court.[92]

Intimidation

Babiš has a reputation for surrounding himself with senior police officers, security agents, and former Communist informers.[22][29]

In June 2015, Babiš provoked controversy when a member of parliament, Ladislav Šincl of the Social Democrats (ČSSD), criticised a change in policy from the Finance Ministry on a bill reducing commissions for life insurance mediators in the Chamber of Deputies, and alleged that the benefits to Babiš's business interests may be the cause of the change.[93] On 17 June 2015, Babiš met with Šincl and accused him of corruption and taking bribes from businessman and senator Ivo Valenta, owner of the Synot gambling group. According to witnesses, Babiš brought to the meeting a folder marked with a yellow note labelled Šincl, and started shouting at Šincl that he knew Šincl took bribes from Valenta and was corrupt. He later moved onto his family and Šincl's former jobs.[94]

On 18 June 2015, Babiš admitted he had a folder with Šincl's name, but denied intimidation, saying, "It's not the materials. It's articles from the media. Do the media write lies? I just showed what the media writes, I think they do their job well. When I go to a meeting, I prepare myself so I know who I am dealing with". Babiš's coalition partners ČSSD (Šincl's party) and KDU-ČSL demanded an apology, but Babiš refused, saying that Šincl had lied about him in the Parliament. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, also the chairman of ČSSD, called a coalition meeting on the same day.[95]

Šincl described Babiš' tactic, of reading potentially damaging facts about him from a file marked with his name, was reminiscent of StB tactics.[69][93][94] Miroslav Kalousek, the first deputy chairman of the opposition party TOP09, also accused Babiš of using StB practices, which Babiš denied.[96]

MF Dnes leaked tapes

On 1 May 2017, Twitter account @skupinasuman posted a tape of Babiš's private conversations with an unknown number of people, in which he labelled Minister of Foreign Affairs Lubomír Zaorálek as an "idiot" and attacked investigative journalist Sabina Slonková, among others. On 3 May 2017, a video on YouTube alleged that Andrej Babiš had interfered with the editorial independence of Mladá fronta DNES, the nation's largest quality newspaper by circulation, owned by Babis's trust. In conversation with MF Dnes journalist Marek Přibil he discusses the date of publication of damaging stories about Minister of Interior Milan Chovanec and Minister of Health Miloslav Ludvík. On the tape, Babiš is recorded instructing Přibil to tell František Nachtigall, the director of strategic development, about when and how to publish the stories.

Comments about Lety concentration camp

On 1 September 2016, while visiting Varnsdorf, a city with large Romani population, Babiš said: "What those idiots [journalists] write in newspapers, that the camp in Lety was a concentration camp, that is a lie, it was a labor camp, people who didn't work ended up there".[97] Babiš's comments were heavily criticized by both coalition partners and opposition MPs calling on him to resign. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka condemned the remarks on Facebook, saying that "between populism and extremism there is a thin line and Babiš crossed it" and asked him to "properly apologize and visit Lety to learn about history of our state."

Minister for Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Jiří Dienstbier called for Babiš to step down as Finance Minister and First Deputy Prime Minister.[98] The leaders of both opposition parties, Petr Fiala from ODS and Miroslav Kalousek from TOP 09 also called for Babiš to step down.[99]

Media criticism

Foreign Policy magazine gave Babis the nickname Babisconi, a portmaneau of his surname and the surname of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the subject of numerous political and financial scandals.[100] In response, Babiš threatened to sue the magazine, but has never done so.[101]

In August 2015, the Swiss weekly L'Hebdo published an article entitled: "Why do Czech Oligarchs Buy Unprofitable Media Outlets?" examining the purchase of media companies by several Czech business people, and also their connections with Francophone Switzerland. The article focused much of its attention on Babiš, and his purchase of media outlets in the Czech Republic. The author pointed out that Babiš had claimed to invest in Mladá fronta DNES only for profit, but had given no answer when told it was a unprofitable investment, and went on to accuse journalists at Babis's newspapers of doing his work.[102]

Writing in Politico, Adam Drda expressed the view that Andrej Babis is associated with the decline of Czech democracy more than any other single person.[16]

Andrej Babiš with his then-partner (now wife) Monika in 2015

Andrej Babiš was a winner of the Green Pearl prize for the anti-ecological comment of the year 2013: "We all gave a shit about democracy once. How to explain that regarding the construction of a new highway, (someone has the right to talk about) a badger, an ecological terrorist and that each mayor wants an exit (to his town)."[103]

Personal life

Babiš' first wife was physician Beata (later Beatrice) Adamičová, a schoolmate, who he married in the 1970s.[104] They had two children, Adriana (born 1979) and Andrej (born 1982), both of whom were involved in the Stork’s Nest case.[105][104] Since 2007 Adriana has been married to Agrofert manager Martin Bobek.[105]

Since the 1990s Babiš has lived with his former secretary Monika Herodesová (born 1974), with whom he has two children, Vivien and Frederik.[106][104] Both Monika and her brother Martin Herodes were also involved in the Stork’s Nest case.[105]

In 2013 Monika changed her surname to Babišová,[104][106] and they married in 2017.[107]

References

  1. ↑ "Babiš vládne i slovenským boháčům. Díky dvojímu občanství | Chytré portfolio". Lidovky.cz (in Czech). 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  2. 1 2 "Bloomberg Billionaires Index". Bloomberg. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  3. ↑ "Končím ve vedení Agrofertu, tvrdí Babiš. Majitelem ale zůstává, sám si podepsal výpověď". Hospodářské noviny (in Czech). 20 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  4. ↑ Tait, Robert (2018-07-12). "Czech communists return to government as power brokers". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  5. ↑ "Czech election front-runner charged with subsidy fraud". POLITICO. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  6. ↑ Rankin, Jennifer (2018-01-05). "EU antifraud office finds 'irregularities' in payments allegedly obtained by Czech PM". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  7. ↑ "Czech lawmakers lift PM Babis's immunity amid fraud allegations". Reuters. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  8. ↑ "Czech court clears ex-PM's aide in scandal that toppled government". Reuters. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "'Czech Donald Trump' set on becoming next prime minister".
  10. ↑ "'Czech Trump' Babiš claims big victory". 21 October 2017.
  11. ↑ Miller, Nick (18 October 2017). "'Czech Trump' Andrej Babis poised to deliver latest blow to EU order". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  12. ↑ "E15.cz: Miliardář Babiš koupil Ringier za čtyři miliardy korun" (in Czech). e15.cz – Finanční noviny (originally ČTK). 24 June 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  13. ↑ "Rebríček miliardárov: Babiš je medzi najbohatšími ľuďmi sveta!" (in Slovak). Nový čas. 12 March 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  14. ↑ Babiš, Andrej. "Můj příběh" (in Czech). ANO 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  15. ↑ Miroslav Slavkay, Michal Kaličiak: Významní slovenskí geológovia. Bratislava : Veda, 2000, p. 399. ISBN 80-224-0639-2
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Drda, Adam (25 January 2016). "Andrej Babiš – Czech oligarch – Politico". politico.eu. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  17. 1 2 "Zemědělství Andrej Babiš ovládl s několika akciemi. Ovládne politiku s pár tisíci podporovatelů?" (in Czech). e15.cz. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  18. ↑
  19. ↑ Kaiser, Daniel (25 October 2013). "Legenda o svatém Andrejovi. Reflex odhaluje zapomenuté informace o Babišově zbohatnutí". Reflex (in Czech). Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  20. ↑ Commercial register at justice.cz, identification number (IČ) 48117072, Agrofert, spol. s r.o.
  21. 1 2 3 Spurný, Jaroslav (13 May 2002). "The richest Czech keeps a secret". respekt.cz. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  22. 1 2 "Why is the next Czech PM surrounding himself with police and spooks?". Bne.eu. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  23. ↑ Anderson, Robert (21 October 2017). "The Czech Trump shoots for power: the rise and rise of Andrej Babiš". New Statesman. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  24. 1 2
  25. ↑ Kejlová, Tamara (26 June 2013). "Babiš koupil Mafru. Do obsahu novin zasahovat nebude, říká jeho mluvčí" (in Czech). Czech Television. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  26. ↑ "Nejposlouchanější stanicí zůstává rádio Impuls, potvrdil průzkum". Hospodářské noviny (in Czech). Hospodářské noviny (originally ČTK). 6 November 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  27. ↑ "Babiš může převzít Rádio Impuls, rozhodl antimonopolní úřad". Mladá fronta DNES. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  28. 1 2 Bardsley, Daniel (3 July 2013). "Babiš's purchase of Mafra raises questions of motives". Prague Monitor. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  29. 1 2 3 "Now the Czechs Have an Oligarch Problem, Too". Foreign Policy. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  30. ↑ "PSB's Alex Braun Awarded the 2014 Campaign Excellence Award for International Campaign Consultant of the Year". Business Wire. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  31. ↑ Lenka Zlámalová (11 January 2008). "Alexander Braun: Obamův vzestup se podobá zeleným |". Hospodářské noviny. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  32. ↑ Matyášová, Veronika (22 December 2013). "Ministerstvo financí bude nakonec řídit Babiš" (in Czech). Czech Television. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  33. ↑ Spurný, Jaroslav. "Tři miliardy od Babiše pro Babiše". Respekt (in Czech). Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  34. ↑ "Andrej Babiš chce být příštím premiérem, a proto se činí. Je stále více vidět v zahraničí". Hospodářské noviny (in Czech). 2 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  35. ↑ "Opoziční TOP 09, ODS a Úsvit navrhnou vyslovení nedůvěry vládě" (in Czech). Czech Television. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  36. ↑ "Babiš Kalouskovi: "Já si nezničím jméno pro nějaké drobné"" (in Czech). Czech Television. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015. Vy jste zapomněli, že jste mě stvořili – vy, zkorumpovaná pravice. Vždyť já jsem byl volič ODS.
  37. ↑ "CEFC je zvláštní investor. Jestli nám chce Čína pomoct, ať koupí OKD, řekl Babiš". Lidovky (in Czech). 6 November 2016.
  38. ↑ "China’s CEFC has big ambitions, but little known about ownership, funding". Reuters. 13 January 2017.
  39. ↑ "Finance Minister Andrej Babiš calls on NATO to destroy human smugglers' ships". Radio Prague. 9 September 2015.
  40. ↑ "Czech minister Babis criticises NATO´s stance on refugees". CeskeNoviny.cz. 10 September 2015.
  41. ↑ "Právo: Babiš would reject refugee quotas despite sanctions". Prague Monitor. 4 August 2016.
  42. ↑ "Babiš: "I reject the EU refugee quotas"". Prague Monitor. 4 August 2016.
  43. ↑ "Czech finance minister says 'no place' for migrants in Europe". Yahoo! News. Reuters. 20 December 2016.
  44. ↑ "Berlin market attack: ISIL claims responsibility, prosecutors release main suspect, perpetrator potentially still at large". Euronews. 20 December 2016.
  45. ↑ "Babiš navrhne menšinovou vládu ANO doplněnou o nestranické odborníky". iDNES.cz. 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  46. ↑ "Premier Babiš discussed the future of the Euro Area and Brexit progress with European statesmen | Government of the Czech Republic". www.vlada.cz. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  47. ↑ "Premier Babiš spoke on the phone with the Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki | Government of the Czech Republic". www.vlada.cz. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  48. ↑ "Babišova vláda bez důvěry vyměnila většinu řídicího výboru Českých drah". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  49. ↑ Muller, Robert. "Czech PM Babis battles fraud charges as cabinet loses confidence vote". Reuters. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  50. ↑ "Vláda po šesti letech schválila přistoupení k fiskálnímu paktu EU. Hlásí se k vyrovnaným rozpočtům". ČT24 (in Czech). Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  51. ↑ "Vláda v demisi je pod palbou kritiky kvůli změně služebního zákona". iDNES.cz. 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  52. ↑ "Personální změny bez důvěry. Vláda má na účtu už několik vysokých hlav". ČT24 (in Czech). Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  53. ↑ "Czech Republic expels three Russian diplomats". Radio Prague. 26 March 2018.
  54. ↑ "Merkel calls Sudeten German expulsion "immoral", drawing Czech ire". Czech Radio. 21 June 2018.
  55. ↑ "Czech government wins confidence vote backed by Communists". Arab News. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  56. ↑ "Babiš definitivně prohrál soud se slovenskými historiky, zda byl ve svazcích StB oprávněně". ČT24 (in Czech). Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  57. ↑ a.s., Petit Press. "Babiš definitívne prehral súd, ÚPN ho eviduje vo zväzkoch ŠTB oprávnene". domov.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  58. ↑ "Babišův soud kvůli StB – agent Bureš figuruje ve 12 spisech" (in Czech). Echo24.cz. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  59. ↑ "Babiš se prý s StB nespolčil vědomě, soud odročen na duben" (in Czech). CT24.cz. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  60. ↑ "Court Says Andrej Babis Wrongly Labeled Communist Agent". The Wall Street Journal. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  61. 1 2 "Slovak press criticizes Babiš court decision Slovak". The Prague Post. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  62. ↑ "Slovak court: Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babiš was not a communist-era secret police agent". Fox News Channel. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  63. ↑ "Potvrzeno: Babiš ve svazcích StB být nemá" (in Czech). ČT24. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  64. ↑ "Slovak court annuls rulings that Andrej Babiš wrongly appeared as StB agent". Czech Radio. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  65. ↑ Meyr, Gabriel (1 December 2015). "Czech Prime Minister Defends Release of Hezbollah Terror Suspect". The Daily Caller. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  66. ↑ "Politiky rozhodnutí soudu o Babišovi a StB nepřekvapilo | ČeskéNoviny.cz". www.ceskenoviny.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  67. ↑ "Andrej Babiš byl tajným spolupracovníkem StB vědomě, říká slovenský badatel Sivoš - Reflex.cz". Reflex.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  68. ↑ EuroZprávy.cz. "Smutné, premiérem by neměl být estébák. Politici na verdikt o Babišovi reagují dost drsně | EuroZprávy.cz". Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  69. 1 2 "Babiš vyvolal v politice poprask: Potvrdil výcvik u StB, řekl Kalousek". novinky.cz. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  70. ↑ "Rozdělení Ukrajiny by bylo jako obětování Československa z roku 1938, míní Babiš" (in Czech). Novinky. 6 March 2015.
  71. ↑ Applebaum, Anne (16 October 2015). "Russia's new kind of friends". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  72. ↑ Gabriel Meyr (1 December 2015). "Putin Hiding Under A Czech Candle". The Daily Caller. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  73. ↑ "Miliardové ztráty z obchodů s Ruskem vyřešíme, slibuje ČEB i EGAP". HlidaciPes.org. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  74. ↑ "EGAP se zaručil za dvoumiliardový úvěr na vývoz technologií do Ruska | E15.cz". Zpravy.e15.cz. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  75. ↑ "Czech Officials on Holy Quest to Prevent Chechen Leader from Horse-Profiteering". Russia-insider.com. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  76. ↑ Alena Adámková (13 March 2007). "Babišův Agrofert uvažuje o změně dodavatele plynu |". Hospodářské noviny. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  77. ↑ "FinMin's opponents warn of his creeping freedom restriction". Prague Monitor. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  78. ↑ "Czech police ask parliament to allow prosecution of PM candidate Babis". Reuters. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  79. ↑ "Andrej Babis: Czech police seek to prosecute prospective PM for alleged fraud". Deutsche Welle. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  80. ↑ "Živě: Poslanci vydali Babiše a Faltýnka policii. Absolutní nesmysl, brání se místopředseda ANO". Aktuálně.cz. 16 January 2018.
  81. ↑ "Policie znovu žádá o vydání Babiše a Faltýnka. Systém se mě urputně snaží dostat, říká šéf ANO" [Czech police again seek to prosecute Babiš and Faltýnek] (in Czech).
  82. ↑ "Kalousek: Zprávu OLAF jsem četl. Úřad potvrdil podvod, Babiš se snaží utajit zlodějnu" [Kalousek: I read the OLAF report. The office confirmed the fraud, Babis is trying to hide the theft]. Byznys Noviny (in Czech). 3 January 2018.
  83. ↑ (in English)
  84. ↑ Slonková, Sabina (3 January 2018). "Co Stojí Ve Zprávě Olaf o Premiérovĕ Čapím Hnízdĕ". neovlivni.cz (in Czech).
  85. ↑ "Zveřejňujeme kompletní znění závěrečné zprávy OLAF o vyšetřování dotace na Farmu Čapí hnízdo". aktualne.cz (in Czech). 11 January 2018.
  86. ↑ "Unipetrol bez łapówki? aktl. – WPROST". 4 March 2016.
  87. ↑ "Zeman a Babiš mají pro Sobotku špatnou zprávu. Toto se mu nebude líbit" [Zeman and Babiš have bad news for Sobotka. He won't like it.]. Domaci.eurozpravy.cz. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  88. ↑ "Kalousek: Babiš nebude na ministerstvu ve střetu zájmů jen na záchodě" (in Czech). novinky.cz. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  89. ↑ "Otázky Václava Moravce". Česká televize. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  90. ↑ "Europoslankyně: Babiš je ve vážném střetu zájmů, měl by se vzdát firem". Mladá fronta DNES. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  91. ↑ "Opozice s vyslovením nedůvěry Sobotkově vládě neuspěla". ČT24. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  92. ↑ "Do FIFA Arrests Presage Further Investigations in Europe?". The Daily Caller. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  93. 1 2 ČTK. "Czech CSSD wants FinMin Babis to apologise for "StB-like" conduct". ceskenoviny.cz. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  94. 1 2 "Babiš po jednání koaliční rady: Se Šinclem se sejdu, omlouvat se ale nebudu". Hospodářské noviny. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  95. ↑ "Babiš: Šinclovi se neomluvím, informace o něm jsem čerpal z médií". ČT24. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015. Nejsou to materiály. Jsou to články médií. Píšou média lži?... Vytáhl jsem si, co média píšou, předpokládám, že dělají svou práci dobře... Když jdu na nějaké jednání, tak se připravím, abych věděl, s kým jdu jednat.
  96. ↑ "Finance Minister Babiš under fire for Šincl incident". Czech Radio. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  97. ↑ "Sobotka: Babiš se o Romy nikdy nezajímal, teď na nich parazituje. Překročil hranici náckovství" (in Czech). 2 September 2016. To, co píší v novinách ti blbečci, že tábor v Letech byl koncentrák, to je lež, byl to pracovní tábor. Kdo nepracoval, šup a byl tam.
  98. ↑ "Finance Minister apologises for comments about Romanies and Lety camp". Czech Radio. 2 September 2016.
  99. ↑ "Musí odejít, žádají politici hlavu Babiše za zpochybňování holocaustu". Echo24. 2 September 2016.
  100. ↑ "Now the Czechs Have an Oligarch Problem, Too". Foreign Policy. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  101. ↑ "Babiš jde do boje s americkým listem: Snůška lží na objednávku z Česka". ČT24. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  102. ↑ "Oligarques tchèques: pourquoi ils aiment la presse... et la Suisse romande". hebdo.ch. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  103. ↑ https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/domaci/ropakem-roku-je-milos-zeman/r~043c4414cbed11e399e0002590604f2e/ Winners of the anti-ecologic prizes (in Czech)
  104. 1 2 3 4 Pergler, Tomáš (2014). Babiš : příběh oligarchy (in Czech) (První vydání ed.). Praha: Mladá fronta. ISBN 9788020434456. OCLC 899728531.
  105. 1 2 3 "Babišovy děti jako bílí koně svého otce? Kvůli Čapímu hnízdu je vystavil zájmu policie i možnému trestnímu stíhání — HlídacíPes.org". HlídacíPes.org (in Czech). 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  106. 1 2 "Monika Babišová: S Andrejem jsem 20 let, přitom se prý k sobě nehodíme". MAFRA. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  107. ↑ "ANO leader Babiš marries his long-term partner Monika". Prague Monitor. Retrieved 13 July 2018.

Official

Political offices
Preceded by
Jan Fischer		 First Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
2014–2017		 Succeeded by
Richard Brabec
Minister of Finance
2014–2017		 Succeeded by
Ivan Pilný
Preceded by
Bohuslav Sobotka		 Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
2017–present		 Incumbent
Party political offices
New political party Leader of ANO 2011
2012–present		 Incumbent
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.