Some Ministers in Babiš's Government Hid Their Advisor Lists — Loophole Left by Fiala's Cabinet

Several ministries in Andrej Babiš's new Czech government have failed to disclose lists of their paid advisors for the first half of 2026. Formally, this is permitted thanks to a rule change pushed through back in July last year by Petr Fiala's cabinet.

The change concerns a new version of the Framework Departmental Internal Anti-Corruption Programme. Previously, data on ministerial advisors was published twice a year; now it's only required once, by 15 February, covering the preceding calendar year. According to Ministry of Interior spokesman Adam Rözler, this means the ministry is not preparing or publishing a separate list of advisors for the first half of 2026 — full data will only appear in February 2027.

Criticism from Transparency International

The Czech branch of Transparency International has been sharply critical of the rule's relaxation. According to organization representative Kryštof Doložal, it's hard to find solid grounds for cutting publication frequency to just once a year — even the previous six-month interval was contentious, given that the anti-corruption programme itself acknowledges advisors' significant influence on decision-making.

Doložal stressed there are no technical obstacles to publishing an up-to-date, continuously updated list: ministry websites regularly update other personnel information, such as deputy minister appointments. In his view, the move can only be seen as an attempt to weaken transparency — nothing stops the government from changing the rule for the better, and citing the previous document looks like a mere excuse. Former Justice Minister Eva Decroix (ODS), who proposed this change to the government a year ago, did not respond to a request for comment.

Who Concealed Their Lists, and Who Disclosed Them

Besides the Interior Ministry, the ministries of industry, education, agriculture, transport, regional development, defence and finance also failed to publish their advisor lists.

The Ministry of Culture stated that its head, Oto Klempíř (Motorists party), has no advisors at all. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry included former MEP Jan Zahradil in its list of 36 advisors, at a rate of 700 crowns per hour — even though back in spring the ministry claimed no contract with him existed. Other advisors to Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists) include Jiří Weigl and Jindřich Forejt, former associates of ex-President Václav Klaus.

The Health Ministry published a list of 15 advisors to Minister Adam Vojtěch, but without disclosing their fees. Among them are epidemiologist Rastislav Maďar and emergency medicine specialist Eva Smržová. Full data, including amounts paid, was disclosed in mid-August by the ministries of the environment, labour and justice.

Drahoš's Man on the Minister's Team

Environment Minister Igor Červený (Motorists) pays his advisors between 200 and 500 crowns per hour. Among them is Jakub Klindinst, who in 2017 led the presidential campaign of former candidate — now senator — Jiří Drahoš, and currently serves as bursar of the Czech University of Life Sciences.

"We signed the contract relatively recently. It's more of an agreement with the university — we're preparing a memorandum between the university and the ministry," Klindinst explained.

Source: novinky.cz