The Comedy of Errors: Babiš vs. The Slovak Institute of National Remembrance
Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. Or in this case, when politicians try to clear their names while history is loudly snickering in the background! The Slovak Institute of National Remembrance isn’t buying the Ministry of the Interior’s assurance that Andrej Babiš, head of the ANO movement, was a mere bystander in the world of state-security intrigue.
A Bit of Background
Long story short, the ministry concluded their legal dating with Babiš, deciding that no, he did not cooperate with the StB (the former Czechoslovak secret police). But hang on—according to the Institute, that assertion reads like a bad script from a political drama. The Institute claims plenty of evidence suggests otherwise. “Who are you gonna trust?” they ask. “A bunch of legal analyses or a solid heap of archival documents?”
The Origins of the Dispute
Miklovič, a historian and spokesperson for the Institute, drips with sarcasm when asserting, “We don’t know on what basis the department decided.” It’s like being served a mystery dish at a restaurant with a sign that says, “Ingredients: Unknown”. The ministry pulled a stunning legal maneuver—suggesting that continuing the duel with Babiš would negatively impact the state budget. A classic case of, “It’s not you, it’s my wallet.”
Lawyerly Wisdom or Just a Cover-Up?
Quick recap: Babiš’s camp decided it was time for peace talks, a move recommended by his lawyers, presumably over a glass of cheap Slovak wine and a bet on Netflix’s next big hit. Meanwhile, the minister claimed that Babiš wouldn’t seek damages, a fact that surely led him to consider the potential fortune he could’ve pocketed if things had gone the other way—like a prime minister’s salary for four years! I mean, who wouldn’t dream of cashing in on a past scandal?
The Last Laugh
Babiš, speaking to the press, paraded his innocence like a peacock: “I have never cooperated with the StB, and there is not a single shred of evidence to prove otherwise.” Perhaps he missed the memo that the archivists at the Institute insist that their stance remains unchanged. After all, history can be like that annoying friend who insists on telling the same embarrassing story at every gathering.
What’s Next?
Despite all this back-and-forth, the Institute stands firmly by its claim. They have documents and even code names—“Bureš,” anyone? It sounds like a character from a spy movie gone wrong. And let’s not forget Babiš’s long battle through the Slovak courts to clean up his infamous record. Imagine years of your life spent on legal fees trying to erase something that might as well be tattooed on your forehead!
The Final Word
So, what’s the takeaway? In the land of mystery and unresolved governmental conflicts, one thing is clear: Whatever happened in those shadowy archives during Babiš’s past will continue to cast a long shadow on his present. And let’s face it, in politics, it’s all a bit of a comedy, isn’t it? So, grab your popcorn; the show is far from over!
The Slovak Institute of National Remembrance opposes the decision of the Ministry of the Interior that the head of the ANO movement, Andrej Babiš, did not cooperate with the StB. According to the institute that administers the StB volumes, its registration in them is justified. The ministry also worked with archival materials on Babiš’s records, which the institute provided to him. However, they were not consulted further with the institution, said the spokesperson of the office.
The Slovak interior decided to make peace in the dispute with Babiš. Before that, the Institute of National Remembrance requested information about Babiš’s records as a secret collaborator of the StB. “The institute provided the ministry with all the archival documents it had, along with an expert opinion and assessment of the file and volume agenda,” Michal Miklovič, historian and spokesman for the Institute of National Memory, told Aktuálně.cz.
“The Ministry of the Interior proceeded with the settlement after a thorough evaluation of the legal situation and the economic risks associated with the continuation of the lawsuit,” the ministry wrote in a press release, citing two independent external legal analyses. On Tuesday, Slovak Minister of the Interior Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) stated that former Prime Minister Babiš himself was the initiator of reconciliation. He stated that his lawyers advised him to do so.
However, according to the historian Miklovič, the ministry did not consult the institute any further with the given materials. “So we don’t know on what basis the department decided,” added Miklovič. The Institute of the Memory of the Nation does not have the text of the reconciliation or the legal analysis to which the Slovak Ministry of the Interior refers. One analysis was prepared by the former judge of the Slovak Constitutional Court, Eduard Bárány, and the other by the law firm Boom & Smart Slovakia.
As one of the reasons for the decision, the Ministry stated that the continuation of the dispute with Babiš could have a negative impact on the state budget. According to Miklovič, however, it does not follow from the lawsuit filed with the Ministry of the Interior that Babiš would claim non-pecuniary damage in addition to compensation for legal costs. According to the Slovak Ministry, Babiš undertook not to request compensation for damages that he may have incurred in connection with the records in the StB volumes. He is also said to withdraw the complaint filed with the European Court of Human Rights.
Bárány wrote in his analysis that it is impossible to come to a clear conclusion about the conscious cooperation of Babiš with the StB. According to him, it is likely that he would win the dispute in Slovakia. If this were to happen and the head of the ANO movement could not become a member of the government in the Czech Republic due to registration in the StB volumes, he could then demand, for example, the payment of compensation in the amount of four years’ salary of a prime minister or minister.
Despite the decision of the Slovak Ministry, Babiš will continue to be listed as an StB agent on the website of the National Remembrance Institute. “We have no reason to intervene in archival documents,” Miklovič described.
Babiš himself responded to the end of the dispute with the ministry by saying that he never doubted that he would win. “I have never cooperated with the StB, there is not and cannot be a single piece of evidence that proves otherwise,” he said. Miklovič believes that the current outcome of the dispute is final. “Given that it is an agreement between two entities, we believe that he won,” Miklovič concluded.
Despite this, the Institute continues to insist on its position. According to him, the legitimacy of Babiš’s records as a secret collaborator of the StB is proven by several files. The Czech historian and director of the XX Museum of Memory agrees with this. century in Prague Petr Blažek. “We have at our disposal not only a part of the volume that was led to Andrej Babiš as a secret collaborator of the State Security, but also mentions of a secret collaborator with the code name Bureš in many other volumes,” he declared on Czech television.
For years, Babiš tried to reach a verdict in the Slovak courts, which would conclude that he was unlawfully listed as an agent in the StB documents. Most recently, the courts in Slovakia decided that he should have sued the Slovak Ministry of the Interior, and not the Slovak Institute of National Remembrance, which administers the StB volumes in Slovakia.
