Prague, Sept 7 (CTK) – The outgoing Czech government will deal with an analysis of the application of freezing orders, including the controversial order related to the FAU firm, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) said after his talks with Finance Minister Ivan Pilny (ANO) on Thursday.
Pilny said the Financial Administration has already worked out the analysis. He will submit it to the government next week.
Pilny said he plans to define more precise rule for the application of the property-freezing orders.
ANO leader Andrej Babis, who was finance minister from January 2014 to May 2017, is suspected of misusing the freezing order in order to get rid of competition, the FAU fuel-trading company.
After the Financial Administration’s intervention last year, FAU went insolvent and later bankrupt. Babis owns Agrofert, a giant chemical, food-processing and media holding.
An audio recording recently appeared on an anonymous Twitter account with Babis speaking of a crackdown on FAU. FAU has a store on the premises of the Precheza firm, which is part of Agrofert.
Sobotka’s outgoing government is also to discuss a report on a check of controversial issuing of one-crown bonds.
This case also concerns Babis and his Agrofert. The issuing of these bonds was a way to lower one’s taxes.
Due to his unclear property situation and financial transactions, Sobotka forced Babis to leave the government. However, the ANO movement is the hot favourite of the October general election.
Sobotka met Pilny within a series of private talks with all members of his cabinet in order to assess their work shortly before the end of the election period.
