PRAGUE, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- A European Commission (EC) audit has concluded that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has a conflict of interest as he still controls Agrofert, a holding company previously owned by him but later transferred to trust funds, local media reported on Tuesday.
The Czech Republic should return 451 million Czech crowns (19.6 million U.S. dollars) in EU subsidies allocated to Agrofert unjustifiably, local media quoted the excerpt from the audit as saying.
The prime minister has stated repeatedly that there is no conflict of interest and that he has been unfairly targeted by political opponents. On Monday, Babis went on the offensive, saying that the Commission has no right to interpret Czech laws.
The final audit report was sent to the Czech Republic on Friday, its conclusions echoing the initial leaks from the preliminary audit report in May of this year.
The Czech Republic has two months to respond to recommendations outlined in the audit and verify its conclusions.
