Justice Minister Tejc Faces Babiš Pressure as Government Pushes Tougher Criminal Laws

Since taking office, Justice Minister Jeroným Tejc has been reshaping the Czech criminal policy agenda, seeking harsher punishments, new criminal definitions and faster dismissal of clear self-defence cases. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš publicly pressed Tejc to intervene in high-profile judgments, labeling a conditional sentence for a child-abuser an "absolute scandal" and urging immediate action. Tejc responded by requesting the case file and filing a complaint, while emphasizing that individual cases highlight systemic issues and do not make his agenda populist.

The government plans to convey its priorities to State Prosecutor General Lenka Bradáčová, though it cannot dictate specific case outcomes. Proposed legislative changes include tougher penalties for violent and sexual crimes, stricter rules for drunk driving, expanded asset seizure, new offences such as cyber-flashing and doxing, and higher sentencing thresholds for severe violence. Critics from ODS and the Czech Bar Association warn against lawmaking driven by media-fueled demand, and the Supreme Court recently rejected Tejc’s complaint on the conditional sentence, reinforcing the need for legislative reform.