Czech Billionaire Leader Faces Criminal Probe Before Ballot
- Babis’s ANO party leads opinion polls before October ballot
- Police seeking probe into alleged fraud related to EU funds
Andrej Babis
Photographer: MICHAL CIZEK/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Czech billionaire Andrej Babis, the chairman of the country’s most popular party, will face a criminal fraud investigation in a case he has denounced as a political attack aimed at thwarting his bid to lead the next government after October general elections.
Lawmakers voted on Wednesday to strip Babis of the parliamentary immunity that protects members of the assembly from prosecution. The motion followed a request from police, who are seeking to open a probe into Babis over the alleged misuse of European Union aid funds at a company belonging to his business empire. The second-richest Czech has rejected the accusations and said they have been fabricated by his rivals.