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Czech Parliament votes to shield PM babis from trial on EU subsidy fraud charges
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 5, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 5, 2026
Quick Summary
On March 5, 2026, the Czech lower house voted 104–81 (one abstention, 14 absent) to retain parliamentary immunity for Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, blocking a retrial over alleged €2 million EU subsidy fraud tied to Stork’s Nest until his term ends in 2029.
Czech Parliament Votes to Shield PM Babis from EU Subsidy Fraud Trial
Parliamentary Decision and Implications
PRAGUE, March 5 (Reuters) - The lower house of the Czech parliament voted on Thursday to deny a court request for billionaire businessman and Prime Minister Andrej Babis to face trial in long-running prosecution over an alleged fraud in drawing a European Union subsidy.
Background of the Case
Babis, head of the populist ANO party, returned to power after winning an election in October last year, despite charges in the case involving a 2 million euro subsidy granted in 2008, before he entered politics, for building a hotel and conference centre outside Prague called Stork Nest.
Parliamentary Immunity Vote
Deputies for ANO and ruling coalition partners, the far right, pro-Russian SPD party and the anti-Green Deal Motorists, voted on Thursday not to lift parliamentary immunity from Babis, voting records showed. The vote means Babis is protected from prosecution in the case until the end of the parliament's four-year term in 2029.
Key Points of the Case
- Babis has denied any wrongdoing in the case where prosecutors allege he hid his ownership of a firm to qualify for the subsidy, which was meant for small businesses and not large groups like the one Babis owned
- He has argued, without showing evidence, that the case was politically motivated to harm his political activity.
- "The system of traditional parties realised that I represent a fundamental danger to them, because I refused to steal and they could not corrupt me," he told parliament on Thursday.
- An appeals court overturned a Babis' acquittal in the case by a lower court last year, sending the case back to the lower court.
- The parliament's vote prevents the lower court from proceeding with a retrial.
- Babis has built a multi-billion dollar empire of farming, chemicals, food processing and other firms, including real estate and fertility clinics across Europe.
- The parliament on Thursday also denied a request to lift the immunity of Babis' ruling coalition ally and SPD chief Tomio Okamura, who has been charged with hate speech.
- Okamura called the charges an attempt to criminalise political opposition.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Jan Lopatka; editing by Edward Tobin)
Key Takeaways
- •The vote prevents Prague’s Municipal Court from retrying Babiš, as his earlier acquittals were overturned by an appeals court due to evidentiary issues (apnews.com).
- •The subsidy at issue reportedly benefiting the ‘Stork’s Nest’ involved a transfer of ownership designed to meet small‑business eligibility, which prosecutors allege was concealed — Babiš denies wrongdoing, calling it politically motivated (apnews.com).
- •The immunity extension also applies to coalition ally Tomio Okamura, shielding him from prosecution on hate‑speech charges; both cases reflect the broader political alignment of the ruling coalition (apnews.com).
References
Frequently Asked Questions about Czech parliament votes to shield PM Babis from trial on EU subsidy fraud charges
1Why was Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis facing trial?
Babis was facing trial for alleged fraud in drawing a 2 million euro European Union subsidy intended for small businesses.
2What was the result of the Czech parliament vote regarding Babis's immunity?
The lower house voted to deny the court's request to lift Babis's parliamentary immunity, shielding him from prosecution.
3What is the Stork Nest case?
The Stork Nest case involves Babis allegedly hiding his ownership of a company to qualify for EU subsidies for building a hotel and conference center.
4How long does the parliamentary immunity protect Babis from prosecution?
Babis is protected from prosecution until the current parliament's four-year term ends in 2029.
5Did the parliament vote on any other immunity requests?
Yes, the parliament also denied lifting immunity for Babis's coalition ally Tomio Okamura, who faces hate speech charges.
