Czech finance minister wins court case over alleged communist past

The leader of the ANO coalition party and current Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babiš has won a court case against the Slovak Nation’s Memory Institute which registered him as a former communist-era secret police agent. Babiš launched the court proceedings in an attempt to clear his name, maintaining that although as a former foreign trade worker he could not avoid coming into contact with the communist secret police he had never been recruited as an agent or harmed anyone by bringing information against them. A Bratislava court ruled on Thursday that there was no evidence which would justify putting Andrej Babiš’ name on the list of former communist-era secret police agents. The institute has appealed the verdict.The allegations regarding Mr. Babiš’ past have sparked controversy on the Czech political scene with critics questioning his presence in high office.