A Prague court docket has acquitted former Prime Minister Andrej Babis of fraud fees in a €1.8m case involving European Union subsidies.
A prosecutor had asked a three-year suspended sentence and a fantastic of 10 million Czech koruna (€416,000) for the populist billionaire. The prosecution can nonetheless enchantment.
Babis pleaded no longer responsible and many times mentioned the fees towards him had been politically motivated.
He wasn’t provide at Prague’s Municipal Court on Monday. His former affiliate, Jana Nagyova, who signed the subsidy request, used to be additionally acquitted.
“INNOCENT!” Babis tweeted after the decision. “I’m really glad that we have an independent judiciary and the court confirmed what I kept saying from the beginning. That I am innocent and haven’t done anything illegal.”
The ruling is a spice up for Babis simply days ahead of the primary spherical of the Czech presidential election.
Babis is regarded as a front-runner in Friday’s election, along side retired military General Petr Pavel, former chairman of NATO’s army committee, and previous college rector Danuse Nerudova.
The case concerned a farm, referred to as the Stork’s Nest, which won EU subsidies after its possession used to be transferred from the Babis-owned Agrofert conglomerate of round 250 firms to Babis’ members of the family. Later, Agrofert once more took possession of the farm.
