‘I’m not interested’: Czech PM Babiš on EU conflict of interest probe over Agrofert company

First published in Deník N. According to the European Commission, Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš may still have a conflict of interest — and that transferring the Agrofert holding company into a trust fund does not resolve the problem. The commission confirmed that it had suspended reimbursement of part of the subsidies for companies in the Agrofert holding company from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and from the cohesion funds, also known as the structural funds. Although Babiš placed Agrofert in a trust fund, he may still be in a conflict of interest, according to the commission. “I can confirm that, following a thorough assessment, the commission concluded that the Czech prime minister is in a potential conflict of interest in connection with the management of cohesion-policy and agricultural funds,” commission spokesperson Louise Bogey said in response to a question from the Czech News Agency on Tuesday (8 September). According to her, the trust fund does not adequately resolve the situation. However, Babiš said he did not intend to deal with the matter any further. “I am not interested in it and I am not dealing with it. I do not own Agrofert, I will never own it again, and I do not derive any benefit from it,” he said in a written statement to Deník N. “I do not know what more I should do. At the European Commission, it is enough for a commissioner to declare a conflict of interest and that resolves it. But in my case, apparently even shooting myself would not be enough.” Transparency International complaint At the beginning of the year, the prime minister placed Agrofert in the RSVP Trust fund. He is no longer its personal owner and, after his death, the holding company will be transferred to his children. It is unclear whether this particular link is what Brussels objects to.