President Zeman vetoes conflict of interests bill

President Miloš Zeman has vetoed a conflict of interests bill designed to rein in potential conflicts of interests among public officials. The bill would ban ministers from media ownership and would bar companies where ministers have more than a 25-percent stake from receiving state subsidies, taking part in public tenders and accessing investment aid. The legislation was set to have a major impact on finance minister and ANO leader Andrej Babiš, whose many business and media interests have long come under fire from opponents and anti-corruption activists. The president’s spokesperson said Mr. Zeman had numerous reservations to the law which he considered to be in violation of the constitutional order. It is expected that the president’s veto will be overturned by the lower house.