Prague High Court Overturns Acquittal of Former Prime Minister Andrej Babis in Capi Hnizdo Case, Orders Re-examination

In a significant turn of events, the High Court in Prague has reversed the verdict that initially acquitted former prime minister and ANO leader Andrej Babis, along with his former adviser Jana Nagyova, in the Capi Hnizdo (Stork’s Nest) case. The court cited insufficient and erroneous evidence, leading to a call for the Prague Metropolitan Court to re-examine the case.

The appeals court raised concerns about serious errors in the original verdict, emphasizing the need for a thorough re-examination of the evidence. The decision has sparked reactions from Babis, who expressed confidence in the initial court’s comprehensive examination of the case. However, he admitted to not yet being fully informed by his legal team and expressed his intention to study the decision carefully.

The case revolves around allegations that Babis arranged for the Farma Capi Hnizdo firm to leave his Agrofert group, turning it into a joint-stock company with bearer shares owned by his family. Investigators claim this maneuver aimed to make the company eligible for a substantial subsidy for small and medium-sized businesses. Nagyova, facing charges of subsidy fraud and damaging the EU’s financial interests, successfully applied for the subsidy on behalf of the company.

The Prague High Court expressed major reservations about the Metropolitan Court’s handling of evidence, describing it as biased, very selective, and unconvincing. The court criticized the limited focus on certain events without considering the broader context of the reconstruction project and the establishment of the Stork’s Nest farm.

Babis, who placed his Agrofert holding into trust funds in 2017 to comply with conflict of interest laws, labeled the decision to re-examine the case, 15 years after its initiation, as absurd and endless. The prosecution argues that Babis and Nagyova deliberately separated the company from the Agrofert holding to secure the subsidy, a claim that the original court failed to establish in the trial overturned by the Prague High Court. The legal saga continues, with the upcoming re-examination poised to shed new light on the intricacies of the Capi Hnizdo case.

Article by Prague Forum

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