Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš apologised on Sunday for picking flowers in a protected zone of Lysá hora, a mountain in eastern Czechia, stating that he would pay a fine if necessary.
Babiš said in a Facebook video that he had picked the flowers in memory of a deceased colleague from his ANO movement with whom he had previously climbed the mountain. "Perhaps I have broken some law, so I apologise and I will definitely pay a fine if necessary, of course," he said.
Images from Saturday's trip posted on Babiš's Facebook page showed the prime minister climbing with a small bouquet of flowers before laying them at a monument at the summit. Babiš was accompanied by two ministers, ANO politicians and supporters at the peak of 1,324 metres, the highest point of the Moravian-Silesian Beskids.
An environmental expert working for an organisation overseen by the Czech Ministry of Environment told news outlet iDNES that Babiš had picked two completely ordinary species—fireweed and Fuchs's gentian—and was unlikely to face punishment. "These are completely common flowers," said the expert, who the outlet did not identify. "Absolutely no problem, not even in a national park".
