Court Begins Hearing Seznam's Lawsuit Against Babiš — PM Ordered to Prove His Claims

The Prague City Court has begun hearing a civil lawsuit filed by Seznam.cz against Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš over damage to the company's business reputation. The lawsuit, filed in February this year, demands that Babiš issue a public apology, delete a number of his posts and videos on social media, and commit to refraining from similar statements about the company in the future.

According to Judge Petr Vulkán, a total of 12 statements made by Babiš on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook are being challenged. Among other things, the prime minister repeatedly claimed that Seznam owner Ivo Lukačovič transferred 6 billion crowns in dividends to Cyprus over five years, allegedly allowing the company to avoid paying a 15% withholding tax — roughly 900 million crowns.

Accusations Against Seznam's Media Outlets

Babiš has also repeatedly criticized news outlets owned by Seznam.cz, including Novinky.cz, Seznam Zprávy, and the newspaper Právo. He has claimed they "lie from morning till night," manipulate information, and are "the most biased media," referring to them as a "post-November cartel" and a "Cyprus-based company," and urging people not to read or watch their content.

The company is also disputing Babiš's claim that under the previous government of Petr Fiala, Seznam allegedly received tens of millions of crowns from the state, and that these "cash flows" dried up once Babiš's cabinet took office.

Judge Vulkán described the case as unprecedented in Czech judicial practice, framing it as a clash between the plaintiff's constitutional right to reputation protection and the defendant's right to freedom of speech. He noted that the prime minister's statements are partly value judgments, partly factual claims, and partly a hybrid of both.

Court Demands Evidence

The judge proposed a settlement, but lawyers for both sides rejected the option. Babiš's attorney, Jiří Urbánek, stated that the prime minister has no intention of deleting his posts and is firmly unwilling to apologize.

The key development at the hearing was the judge's demand: Babiš's lawyer must provide evidence supporting the truthfulness of the prime minister's statements — including sources and corroborating facts — before the next hearing. Failure to do so could see Babiš lose the case for failing to meet the burden of proof. The defense requested more time to prepare the materials, and the judge postponed the hearing until December 10, noting that a verdict could potentially be issued on that date.

On behalf of Seznam.cz, attorney Obert argued that Babiš's actions were systematic and long-running, going beyond what is legally permissible. In response, the prime minister's lawyer insisted that his client's remarks were value judgments containing elements of "exaggeration" rather than factual claims, and that Babiš never asserted the company's activities were unlawful.

Babiš himself stated that he is prepared to substantiate his claims that the outlets owned by Lukačovič systematically lie and manipulate facts.

Source: novinky.cz