Prague, Aug 31 (CTK) – Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) called on Deputy Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) to give up the post in the board of his German firm, but Babis refused to do so at a meeting of the leaders of the government parties tonight, ANO deputy chairman has said.
ANO deputy chairman Jaroslav Faltynek said it has been known for a long time that Babis sits on the supervisory board of the SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz chemical plant, which is part of his Agrofert holding, but the CSSD tabled the issue only now, before the regional elections.
Faltynek said Sobotka did not react to Babis’s refusal to leave the post in any way.
Sobotka said earlier on Wednesday that Babis does not respect the law on the conflict of interests.
“We should not play into the hands of the opposition and it seems logical to me that a cabinet member should respect the law on conflict of interests,” he said.
Sobotka said except Babis, no cabinet member was a member of a board of a commercial company. The government consists of the CSSD, the ANO movement and the small Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL).
Babis earlier dismissed the view that his post in the firm’s board violated the law. He argued that he did not take part in the meetings of the supervisory board.
In his annual property statement, Babis wrote that he received about 4200 euros for his membership of the board of SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz.
Babis is a billionaire and the owner of the giant Agrofert chemical, food-processing, agriculture and media holding.
