Prague, March 16 (CTK) – Czech Finance Minister Babis (ANO) will not resign over the Capi hnizdo Farma (Stork’s Nest Farm) case, he said after meeting President Milos Zeman yesterday and added that he feels support from Zeman who has accepted his invitation to visit the conference centre in Central Bohemia.
Before meeting Zeman, Babis said he will release the name of Capi hnizdo’s owner at the time when the firm applied for European subsidies at the March 23 extraordinary session of the Chamber of Deputies on the case.
A part of the opposition suspects Babis and his firms of a subsidy fraud in connection with Capi hnizdo.
Babis is a billionaire businessman and Capi hnizdo is a part of his Agrofert Holding.
The Capi hnizdo firm belonged to Babis’s Agrofert concern until 2007 or 2008. Afterwards, it changed the form of ownership and it was not possible to track its owner. Thanks to this, it got a European subsidy of more than 50 million crowns which a firm from the Agrofert concern could not gain. It observed this subsidy condition for some time and later, it returned to Babis’ concern.
Babis says he considers the case a political campaign against him.
He dismissed yesterday the accusations that he or his firms acted expediently in the case. He said he wants to refute all doubts at the March 23 session of the Chamber of Deputies, where he will release the former owner of the farm.
He said on Sunday already he knows him, but he did not want to publish the name.
“On March 23, I will explain it to all, but those who cannot stand me and whose sole goal is that I leave Czech politics, will naturally again find their theory,” Babis said.
He said he wants to offer his explanation at the extraordinary session because it will be broadcast live. This should rule out any misunderstanding that might arise from the fact that he is a Slovak who speaks Czech and that things may be torn out of context.
Babis said he explained the whole project to Zeman who accepted the explanation.
Babis said he invited Zeman to Capi hnizdo, where he will arrive in April.
($1=24.347 crowns)
