The government is preparing a criminal complaint on suspicion of fraud due to the termination of the activities of the Bohemia Energy energy group. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said yesterday in his regular program on social networks. According to him, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček (ANO) will sign the criminal complaint on behalf of the cabinet. In this context, the current cabinet should also re-approve the enactment of a class action and submit a proposal to the new House. In the last term of office, Babiš’s government did not manage to enforce this institute in parliament.
The Bohemia Energy Group ceased operations in mid-October and has around 900,000 customers looking for a new energy supplier. The largest group of alternative energy suppliers in the Czech Republic to date has justified this by the continuing extreme growth of energy in wholesale markets.
Babiš described the group’s behavior as unbelievable, according to him, Bohemia Energy cheated on its clients. “We will file a criminal complaint for fraud. And we will return to the institute of class action. I now recommend to all victims that you coordinate and act in unison with this group of companies,” the prime minister said.
He added that the government is preparing further measures. Havlíček is negotiating with the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) on the possible setting of a ceiling on advance invoices for clients in the mode of supplier of last resort (DPI). According to Babiš, those who were deceived should pay the same advances as before. The Cabinet is also preparing extraordinary immediate assistance for households at risk of energy poverty, remission of VAT and remission of payments for renewable resources.
Babiš, as well as the Ministry of Industry and the ERO, recommended that people move as soon as possible from so-called suppliers of last resort to a standard energy supplier, with whom they can agree on a better price or better solve individual problems.
