Andrej Babiš: Czech PM's Biography, Agrofert and Court Cases

Andrej Babiš has been Prime Minister of the Czech Republic since 9 December 2025. Born on 2 September 1954 in Bratislava, he founded the Agrofert holding and the ANO movement, served as finance minister (2014–2017) and led the government once before, from 2017 to 2021. In the election of 3–4 October 2025 ANO won 34.51% of the vote and 80 of 200 seats, and Babiš formed a coalition with SPD and Motoristé sobě (the Motorists) that holds 108 seats. Around Prague checked his biography against the official Czech government website vlada.gov.cz, and the status of the court cases and disputes against reports by ČTK, ČT24 and Radio Prague International on 30 October 2026.

Andrej Babiš at a glance

When	What
2 September 1954	Born in Bratislava
1974–1978	University of Economics in Bratislava, foreign trade
1978–1991	Chemapol Bratislava and Petrimex, including a posting in Morocco
1993	Founds Agrofert; director until 2000, chairman of the board until 2014
2012	Founds the ANO movement (year given in his official CV)
since 2013	Member of the Chamber of Deputies
2014–2017	First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
2017–2021	Prime Minister; after the 2021 election ANO goes into opposition
January 2023	Loses the presidential run-off to Petr Pavel, 41.67% to 58.32%
9 December 2025	Appointed Prime Minister again

The 2025 election and Babiš's third government

Turnout on 3–4 October 2025 was 68.95%. Six lists won seats:

Party or coalition	Vote share	Seats
ANO	34.51%	80
SPOLU (ODS, KDU-ČSL, TOP 09)	23.36%	52
STAN	11.23%	22
Pirates	8.97%	18
SPD	7.78%	15
Motoristé sobě	6.77%	13

President Petr Pavel appointed Babiš on 9 December 2025, 66 days after the vote, on condition that he first explain publicly how he would resolve his conflict of interest over Agrofert. The cabinet was appointed on 15 December and won a confidence vote on 15 January 2026 by 108 to 91.

Pavel refused to appoint the Motorists' honorary chairman Filip Turek as environment minister, his office citing the "intensity and scope" of Turek's problematic statements and actions, including social media posts. Turek apologised for some posts and denies writing others. Pavel then accused Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, the Motorists' leader, of blackmail; Macinka accused the president of violating the constitution. Tens of thousands rallied for Pavel on 1 February 2026, and a no-confidence motion on 4 February drew only 84 votes, short of the 101 needed.

Agrofert and the conflict of interest

In his first term Babiš placed Agrofert in trust funds. The European Commission's final audit, released on 23 April 2021, concluded that he still influenced the group and was in a conflict of interest, and that the Czech Republic had to return some EU subsidies. Babiš rejected the findings.

In early December 2025 he announced a trust run by an independent trustee and overseen by an independent protector; in February 2026 Agrofert was transferred to the RSVP Trust. Babiš says he will never get the shares back and his children will receive them only after his death. According to Seznam Zprávy, which published the fund's statutes, management passes to his children once he leaves government.

In September 2026 the European Commission said the trust does not resolve the conflict and asked that Babiš-linked companies not receive subsidies he could influence; it also paused, for six months, the deadline for reimbursing €3.18 million in Agrofert-linked farm payments. On 14 October Transparency International published a Commission letter saying the conflict persists. Babiš calls this nonsense and says he gains nothing from Agrofert.

The Stork's Nest (Čapí hnízdo) case

Prosecutors say that around 2007–2008 the Čapí hnízdo farm near Olbramovice, Central Bohemia, was moved out of Agrofert and transferred to Babiš's children and partner so it could obtain a CZK 50 million EU subsidy meant for small and medium-sized firms. His adviser Jana Nagyová allegedly filed the application. Both deny wrongdoing.

Two acquittals. The Prague City Court acquitted both on 9 January 2023 and again later. The High Court in Prague overturned both verdicts, and in June 2025 said the lower court could no longer acquit them.
Immunity. Babiš is again an MP. On 5 March 2026 the Chamber refused to lift his immunity, by 104 of the 186 MPs present. His part of the case is suspended while he holds his seat.
Nagyová convicted. On 4 May 2026 the City Court found her guilty of subsidy fraud and damaging the EU's financial interests: three years suspended with five years' probation and a CZK 500,000 fine. The High Court rejected her appeal on 31 August, making the verdict final; her lawyer plans to go to the Supreme Court.

Babiš calls the case a political trial.

The StB case and how it ended in Slovakia

Slovakia's Nation's Memory Institute (ÚPN), keeper of the communist secret police files, lists Babiš as StB agent "Bureš", recruited in 1982 according to the documents. Babiš denies it.

2012: he sues ÚPN, and the first rulings go his way.
2017–2024: Slovakia's Constitutional Court overturns them; the Bratislava Regional Court (2018, 2022) and the Supreme Court (2023) then rule that he sued the wrong defendant, which should have been the Interior Ministry. His last constitutional complaint fails in February 2024.
October 2024: in a new lawsuit the Interior Ministry settles, accepting that he was wrongly listed and did not knowingly cooperate. Babiš drops compensation claims and his complaints at the European Court of Human Rights. The ministry cited a high risk of losing.

The settlement does not bind ÚPN, which maintains that the files confirm he was an agent.

The government in 2026: policies and controversies

TV and radio fees. At 4:36 a.m. on 24 October 2026 the Chamber passed in first reading, by 96 votes to 81, a bill to scrap licence fees and fund Czech Television and Czech Radio from the state budget; Babiš did not vote. Critics see a threat to public media independence; protests followed.
2027 budget. On 21 September the cabinet approved a CZK 386 billion deficit, which ČTK says would be the second largest ever after CZK 419.7 billion in 2021.
No-confidence votes. The cabinet survived two, on 4 February and 1 October 2026. In October, citing the deficit and the PM's conflict of interest, the opposition got 83 votes to 94.
Senate. In the October 2026 Senate elections ANO won none of the 27 seats contested. Babiš called it catastrophic but ruled out changing course.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Who is the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic now?

Andrej Babiš (ANO), appointed on 9 December 2025. His government took office on 15 December.

How old is Andrej Babiš?

He is 72. He was born on 2 September 1954 in Bratislava.

Did Babiš sell Agrofert?

No. In February 2026 he moved it into the RSVP Trust; the Commission says the conflict persists, Babiš disagrees.

What happened in the Stork's Nest case?

Babiš's part is on hold because the Chamber refused to lift his immunity. His former adviser Jana Nagyová was finally convicted on 31 August 2026.

Was Babiš an StB agent?

Slovakia's ÚPN says yes; Babiš denies it. In 2024 Slovakia's Interior Ministry accepted in a settlement that he was wrongly listed; ÚPN stands by its files.

Sources: Prime Minister's CV, vlada.gov.cz, 2025 election results (Seznam Zprávy), ČTK on the appointment, Radio Prague on Filip Turek, Radio Prague on the 2021 audit, Radio Prague on the Commission's view of the trust, Radio Prague on the Commission letter, Radio Prague on the High Court ruling, ČT24 on the immunity vote, ČTK on Nagyová's sentence, ČTK on the StB case, TASR on the settlement, EUobserver on the licence fees, ČTK on the 2027 budget. Checked on 30 October 2026.

Photo: Andrej Babiš and EU Commissioner Andrius Kubilius in Prague, 21 October 2026. Milan Kammermayer / European Commission, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

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