Judges Fire Back at Babiš: Prove Your "Mafia" Claims or Stop Making Them

The Czech Union of Judges has issued a sharp rebuke to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš following his remarks about a "mafia" allegedly "jailing people to order." The union's Republican Council has demanded that Babiš either substantiate his accusations through proper legal channels or stop making such statements altogether.

The controversy erupted after Babiš's comments at a campaign meeting with voters in Havířov, where he was asked about parliamentary immunity and its ability to shield lawmakers from "wrongful court decisions." The prime minister claimed that judges "issue rulings without evidence" and behave "like prosecutors of the former regime," even referring to a "mafia that jails people to order."

Judges: Public Trust in Justice at Stake

According to the Union of Judges, anyone has the right to criticize court rulings — especially someone personally caught up in a criminal case. However, the prime minister bears special responsibility for how he speaks publicly about the judiciary, one of the pillars of democracy. "Disagreeing with a court decision does not justify claims that judges act on someone's orders or without evidence," the organization stressed, adding that such unfounded accusations undermine public confidence in an independent judiciary.

A Shift on Immunity and the "Stork's Nest" Case

Notably, Babiš previously opposed parliamentary immunity for lawmakers, yet he is now actively relying on that same immunity to prevent a court from ruling in his "Stork's Nest" case. It was precisely after being questioned about immunity that he made his remarks about the "mafia," using them to explain his change of stance.

The "Stork's Nest" case has dragged on for years and involves Babiš and his former adviser Jana Nagyová. Both are accused of subsidy fraud and damaging the EU's financial interests over a 50-million-crown grant received for the Stork's Nest farm. In August 2026, Prague's High Court gave a final verdict finding MEP Nagyová guilty, upholding her three-year suspended sentence with a five-year probation period and a fine of 500,000 crowns.

According to the court, Nagyová worked together with Babiš to secure the European subsidy for the farm, even though it was not eligible. The farm received funds earmarked for small and medium-sized businesses, despite its ties to the large Agrofert holding company owned by Babiš — who, prosecutors allege, continued to control the company in practice through a formal transfer of shares to anonymous shareholders. Criminal proceedings against Babiš himself are currently suspended: in March 2026, the Chamber of Deputies refused to strip him of immunity for prosecution, and as long as his parliamentary immunity holds, the court cannot proceed with the case.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz