Babiš Invites Judges to Strakovka to Explain the "Stork's Nest" Case

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said the judiciary and law enforcement bodies are "not infallible" and that criticism directed at them is entirely legitimate. He was responding to a statement issued Friday by the Union of Judges, which demanded that he either prove his claims that some judges hand down rulings without evidence or stop making such statements.

In a video address on Sunday, Babiš once again cited the "Stork's Nest" subsidy fraud case as an example of such a ruling. "If anyone from the Union of Judges has a problem, come and see me. I'll gladly welcome you at the Government Office. My lawyer can explain to you what 'Stork's Nest' is — a political trial," the prime minister said.

He also argued that public trust in the judiciary is undermined not by politicians who criticize its rulings, but by judges themselves, who, in his words, hand down suspended sentences for serious crimes such as rape or child abuse. According to Babiš, society is regularly outraged by disproportionately lenient sentences for animal cruelty or sexual offenses. He cited a figure: over the past four years, the state has paid out 400 million crowns in compensation to people who were wrongfully prosecuted.

The Union of Judges' Response

On Friday, the Union of Judges stressed that everyone has the right to criticize court rulings — especially someone personally affected by a criminal case, and Babiš is charged in the case over subsidies for the "Stork's Nest" conference and recreation complex.

"At the same time, the prime minister bears special responsibility for how he speaks about the judiciary — a pillar of a democratic state governed by the rule of law. Disagreeing with a court ruling does not justify suggesting that judges hand down verdicts on order or without evidence," the union said.

It remains unclear whether the judges will take up the invitation to come to Strakovka to hear the explanations of Babiš's lawyer. Roman Lada, first vice-president of the Union of Judges, said the decision would need to be discussed by the organization's national leadership. Union president Libor Vávra noted that he would accept the invitation if it were made official, but said the union has not yet received one.

"A Prosecutor Like in the Old Days"

The Union of Judges' statement came in response to a video of a campaign rally Babiš held in Havířov, where he explained his shift in position on parliamentary immunity. He was reminded that back in 2017 he said immunity should apply only to statements made within parliament, since MPs are not superhuman. At the rally he declared: "We have an independent judiciary, but of course there are also judges who hand down rulings without evidence" — linking this to his own case and repeating that the judge in the "Stork's Nest" case "ruled like a prosecutor, like in the old days."

As a reminder, last month Prague's High Court upheld a suspended three-year sentence and a fine for Babiš's co-defendant, MEP Jana Nagyová (ANO), for subsidy fraud and damaging the EU's financial interests. Babiš's own prosecution has been suspended due to parliamentary immunity — this spring, the Chamber of Deputies declined to hand the prime minister over for prosecution. In Havířov, Babiš also noted that throughout Czech history only about 22 MPs have ever been handed over for prosecution in this way.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz