Prague, Jan 4 (CTK) – Finance Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) will no longer own his Agrofert holding next month if parliament passes the amendment to the law on conflict of interest, under which firms owned by ministers would have very limited access to subsidies, he told public Czech Television (CT) tonight.
“I will get rid of the Agrofert shares. I will not be a shareholder of Agrofert,” Babis said, without elaborating.
He said this would happen in January if the amendment is passed.
Babis also said he would sell the Hartenberg fund that invests his money in health care in such a case.
According to the amendment, dubbed “lex Babis,” companies in which government members have a minimally 25 percent stake will lose the opportunity to seek most subsidies, public procurement and investment incentives. The amendment also deals with certain media. It bans future government members to operate radio and television broadcasts and to publish the periodical press.
The billionaire Babis fully owns the giant Agrofert holding that employs more than 34,000 people. It is the largest Czech group in agriculture and food processing, number two in chemical industry and it also focused on forest industry and media. Babis owns the national dailies Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) and Lidove noviny (LN), the Impuls radio station and the Ocko musical television station.
The Chamber of Deputies passed the amendment to the law on conflict of interest in September, but the other house of parliament, the Senate, returned the bill to it with adjustments. The Chamber passed the new version of the amendment in November. In both cases, the amendment was pushed through by a comfortable majority.
In December, President Milos Zeman vetoed the amendment, arguing that it is aimed at a political rival, Babis. The Chamber of Deputies can override the presidential veto. It will take the last third vote on the amendment at its next session that starts on January 10.
kva/dr/rtj
