In the Czech Republic, thousands of people demonstrated on Monday for an independent judiciary. Their main claim is a criminal prosecution of the Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who is accused of subsidy fraud. The cause for the protests is the appointment of Marie Benesova as new Minister of Justice scheduled for Tuesday.
Benesova is considered the confidante of the controversial President Milos Zeman and allies of Babis. She is a former member of the Social Democratic Party CSSD, which together with Babis' populist movement Ano forms a minority government.
The organizers of the demonstrations said they should not allow the head of government to withdraw from a fair trial. The international non-governmental organization Transparency International also warned against "political pressure" on law enforcement agencies.
With an estimated fortune of four to five billion euros Babis is considered the second richest man in the Czech Republic. In 2007, he allegedly collected EU subsidies amounting to 1.6 million euros with his company Agrofert.
In 2011, Babis founded the populist protest movement Ano and became Finance Minister in 2014. At the end of May 2017, he was recalled on suspicion of tax fraud. Half a year later, Ano won the parliamentary elections. Because of the allegations of fraud, the other parties initially refused to co-opt with the populist. Only after his immunity was lifted, he managed to form a government.