Four days after the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, it already has its first two cases, both related to Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis.

The new European institution launched an investigation against Babis due to accusations of conflict of interest, according to the press, in connection with an old case, Agrofert Holding. According to the Czech Prime Minister, however, it is actually a question of foreign interference in the internal affairs of his country, and he will not let "the green fanatics of the European Parliament rule the Czech Republic" . Parliamentary elections will be held in the Czech Republic in October this year, so the action of the European Public Prosecutor's Office against Babis must be interpreted in the light of this.

After long preparations, on the first of June, the Luxembourg-based European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) was officially established, headed by Laura Codruța Kövesi , the former head of the Romanian National Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (DNA).

For years, Babis has been accused of still influencing the operation of Agrofert Holding, which he owns, as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, and he is the beneficiary of state and European Union subsidies to his companies.

BABIS DENIES ALL THIS, REFERRING THAT HE PLACED HIS PROPERTY IN A SPECIAL ASSET MANAGEMENT FUND IN FEBRUARY 2017 - WHEN HE WAS STILL THE MINISTER OF FINANCE - ACCORDING TO THE INVALIDITY ACT, AND SINCE THEN HE HAS NOT HAD ANY INFLUENCE ON ITS ACTIVITIES.

He became Prime Minister later, only in December 2017. Babis is currently the fifth richest man in the Czech Republic, but before he was elected prime minister, he was the second richest Czech businessman-politician.

Many believe that

THE EUROPEAN PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE IS ACTUALLY A POLITICAL WEAPON OF BRUSSELS, WHICH CAN BE DIRECTED PRIMARILY AGAINST CENTRAL EUROPEAN POLITICIANS AND LEADERS WHO PROTECT NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY.

Czech Prime Minister Babis also expressed this opinion, raising the suspicion that

THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE CANNOT BE SUBORDINATED UNOFFICIALLY TO A POLITICAL ORGANIZATION, I.E. THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, WHICH VIOLATES THE PRINCIPLE OF THE SEPARATION OF POWERS, THEREFORE, IN ADDITION TO THE QUESTION OF SOVEREIGNTY, IT PRESUMES SERIOUS RULE OF LAW PROBLEMS.

Hungary also mainly explains its stay away from the EPPO with issues of national sovereignty.

Judit Varga justified the fact that Hungary did not join the EPPO, also with questions of sovereignty. In his opinion, "action against corruption is extremely important both at the European and national level, but it is not certain that the solution lies in the creation of new and new institutions. According to him, there are other frameworks within which proper action can be taken against corruption, the main instruments of which are, among others, Eurojust or the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

Source and full article: Origo.hu