Andrej Babiš, the current leader of the Czech opposition and former prime minister, is stepping away from the media world by selling Mafra, known for its popular daily newspapers Mf Dnes, Lidové noviny, and Metro, to the Kaprain group, led by Czech entrepreneur Karel Pražák.
The sale of Mafra has been discussed in connection with tightening the conflict of interest law in the Czech Republic. The law does not allow Czech MPs to own media, even through a trust fund, which was precisely Babiš’s case.
Babiš’s journey with Mafra has been controversial since his acquisition from the Rheinisch-Bergische Verlagsgesellschaft in 2013. Not long after his takeover, many journalists left the media house, worried about their reputation. Matters intensified with the surfacing of audio recordings, revealing Babiš giving specific directions to one of the editors.
The criticism did not stop at the media community. Babiš’s ownership of Mafra was a sticking point among his political rivals, even though he had transferred his companies into trust funds six years ago.
His dual role as the Czech prime minister and a media owner was contentious, leading to frequent criticisms from the European Parliament. He owned the media house throughout his premiership and the subsequent unsuccessful campaign in the 2023 presidential elections.
Mafra now has a chance to continue in the media market without the burden of being owned by a high-ranking politician. The future of Mafra Media House is, however, still unclear.
“This is a completely new environment for us. We have numerous options, from retaining and further developing Mafra to selling it entirely or in parts. Many parties in the current market are showing interest,” Kaprain owner Pražák told Hospodářské noviny.
(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)
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