Off the wire
• Roundup: France new government announced; women half of new ministers  • UN relief wing concerned for safety of civilians in Iraq's Mosul city  • UN donates 1.6 mln USD to assist flood victims in Zimbabwe  • Malta ranks first in Europe regards to LGBTIQ rights  • 2nd LD Writethru: Cyprus reunification negotiating session ends in deadlock  • NATO chief welcomes political progress in Macedonia  • Ethiopian infrastructures affected in global cyber attack  • Roundup: Nigerian gov't rolls out president's achievements in two years  • Study blames drug money for deforestation in Central America  • Spotlight: Erdogan, Trump meet amid persisting row on Syria crisis  
You are here: 　 Home

Ivan Pilny to be new Czech finance minister

Xinhua, May 17, 2017 Adjust font size:

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka accepted Wednesday the nomination of Ivan Pilny to replace Andrej Babis as finance minister.

Sobotka said he expected President Milos Zeman to dismiss Babis shortly after his return on Wednesday from a six-day visit to China.

Babis rejected the reasons for his dismissal and criticised Sobotka for talking about a suspected tax evasion in connection with him, terming his dismissal as "unjust".

The prime minister said Babis's dismissal from government and the appointment of a new finance minister would end the dispute and tension in the coalition caused by Babis' refusal to shoulder his political responsibility.

Babis is expected to leave the post by the end of May.

Pilny, 72, is a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic. Babis put forward Pilny's name to Sobotka as successor of the Czech finance ministerial post on Wednesday. Endit