Czech billionaire Babis fights fraud trial alongside presidential contest


Former Czech Prime Minister and presidential candidate Andrej Babis attends his trial for alleged EU subsidy fraud at the Municipal Court in Prague, Czech Republic, January 4, 2023. REUTERS/David W Cerny

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech billionaire and former Prime Minister Andrej Babis returned to court to fight fraud accusations over a 2 million euro subsidy on Wednesday, days before a presidential election in which he is a favourite begins.

Babis has been a dominant force in Czech politics for the past decade, first as a powerful finance minister and later as prime minister, before opposition parties combined to unseat him in an 2021 election despite his ANO party winning the most seats in parliament.

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