Andrej Babiš (; born 2 September 1954) is a Czech businessman and politician. He was the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 2017 until 2021. In 2023, he unsuccessfully ran for President of the Czech Republic, losing to General Petr Pavel.
Babiš, the second richest man in the Czech Republic, is a former CEO and sole owner of the Agrofert group with a net worth of about $4.04 billion according to Bloomberg.
Political career
Babiš served as Finance Minister of the Czech Republic and Deputy Prime Minister responsible for the economy from January 2014 to May 2017 until he was fired by Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka due to rumors of financial irregularities. Babiš has led ANO 2011 party since 2012 when he founded it as a protest movement against established politics. He has been Member of the Chamber of Deputies (MP) since 2013.
Scandals
Babiš has been under investigation since December 2015 due to allegations that an anonymous company he controlled unlawfully received subsidies from the European Union. In September 2017, his parliamentary immunity was stripped after police request in connection with the case and Babiš was formally charged on 9 October 2017.
Prime Minister
Babiš was elected Prime Minister of the Czech Republic following his victory in the 2017 legislative election when his party won 78 seats winning the majority party in the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic.