Czech lawmakers vote to tighten conflict of interest legislation in snub to former populist PM Babis

PRAGUE (AP) — Lawmakers in the lower house of the Czech Parliament have agreed to tighten the country’s conflict of interest legislation to ban politicians from owning media, in a direct snub to former populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis. Lawmakers in the 200-seat house voted to amend the current law to prohibit media ownership for members of Parliament, the government and the president. Babis’ opposition ANO (YES) movement vehemently protested the move and threatened to challenge it at the Constitutional Court. Babis, one of the country’s richest people, was required by law to transfer ownership of his businesses, including two newspapers and a radio station, to two trust funds in February 2017. The new legislation bans such transfers to funds or relatives.