In our series in Czech about Czech MEP Filip Turek (Motorists/Patriots), we have exposed his "legendary" racing career and his "presidency" of associations with only three members. Now we present a detailed analysis of his financial affairs in the business sector.
| F. Turek's income from his own companies (annually) - discrepancies in documents | 2024 | 2022–2023 |
|---|---|---|
| European Parliament declaration | €80,000-120,000 | €6,000 |
| Companies accounting documents | €0 | €0 |
* The origin of €40,000 is unclear from the documents
Different declarations for different authorities
The main problem lies in the fact that Mr. Turek says one thing in official declarations for the European Parliament, and completely different data appears in the accounting of his companies, which he submits to Czech tax authorities. In both cases, these are official documents where false information could have legal consequences.
Mr. Turek submitted two different income declarations to the European Parliament – the first on July 18, 2024 (shortly after taking office) and an updated second one on September 24, 2024. The changes between these declarations are fundamental.
We now focus on Mr. Turek's declarations in the European Parliament. These are submitted in accordance with the MEP code of conduct, which states that "if a Member has not submitted a declaration of private interests, he cannot be elected to any position in Parliament or its bodies."
The detailed breakdown of Mr. Turek's EP declarations looks like this:
| Turek's companies: Original EP declaration (July 2024) | Turek's companies: Revised EP declaration (September 2024) |
|---|---|
| Art of Performance: €5,000/month (€60,000 annually) | Art of Performance: €500/month (€6,000 annually) |
| Transgas**: €5,000/month (€60,000 annually) | Transgas: €0 |
| Automotive industry consultancy: | |
| €10,000/month (€120,000 annually) | |
| Total: €10,000/month (€120,000 annually) | Total: €10,500/month (€126,000 annually) |
** The name Transgas (not to be confused with Transgas a.s.) is discussed below.
It's remarkable that the total amount remained practically the same – Mr. Turek simply changed the source from which the money allegedly comes. This change occurred shortly after media began questioning whether his companies actually generate such income.
Mr. Turek submitted his first declaration to the European Parliament on July 18, 2024, and the second, revised one on September 24, 2024. He has not submitted any new ones since then. According to the MEP code of conduct, he should submit a new overview with every change of circumstances. This is important for the following comparison.
For better clarity on how Filip Turek reports data about his companies, we summarize once more in a table, supplemented with the years 2022-23. Even in these years, there is no agreement with the accounting documents in the Czech Commercial Register Collection. (The Collection of Documents falls under the administration of the Czech Ministry of Justice, but the maintenance of registers is entrusted to independent registry courts. These are regional courts with local jurisdiction over the company's registered office.)
| Regular income | Declaration from July 18, 2024 | Declaration from September 24, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Owner and managing director: Art of Performance s.r.o. (2022–2023) | €500/month | €500/month |
| Owner and managing director: Art of Performance s.r.o. (2024) | €5,000/month | €500/month (new) | €5,000/month (previously) |
| Managing director: Transgas s.r.o. (2024) | €5,000/month | €0 |
| Automotive industry consultancy – freelancer | – | €10,000/month |
Art of Performance: zero payouts in accounting
In mid-2024, Mr. Turek claimed in an interview with Czech business daily Hospodářské noviny (see box) that his companies would earn "substantially more" this year. However, the reality is the opposite - Art of Performance in 2024 recorded a drop in revenue to only about €27,000 for the entire year 2024 (see chart below) and showed an operating loss of over €50,000.
Interestingly, this large loss was covered in the company's accounting by an item called "other financial income." This accounting item typically includes, for example, foreign exchange gains for companies - which most likely does not apply to Mr. Turek's small company, given that it has had virtually no assets or receivables for a long time.
Hospodářské noviny daily (July 22, 2024)
Mr. Turek says about his reported current income that these are only estimates so far. But both companies will supposedly earn substantially more this year. "Transgas has had income of up to 7,000 euros in the last five months this year because it invoices income from the sale of the book 'Hranatá legenda' (Square Legend) about me. Just in the first week, 3,000 copies were sold for 22 euros each, it's a bestseller. And it will also deal with selling my merchandise, for example shirts with my face on them. Now that I'm more famous, there's interest in such things," he described.
The Art of Performance company, according to Mr. Turek, deals with classic English cars and owns many spare parts for collector cars. "The spare parts will now be sold, which will increase its revenue. And in December it also sold a car for 180,000 euros, which I will still add to the tax return," he added. The chairman of the Motorists to Themselves party, Petr Macinka, then only stated in response to the figures mentioned to HN that he knows nothing about Mr. Turek's companies and income. "We didn't talk about it at all and I admit that I'm not interested, I have nothing to say about it," he said.
Given other data in the accounting, it suggests that the company was financially supported by some related person or entity in 2024. A similar situation occurred in 2021, when Mr. Turek's company had significantly higher operating expenses (material consumption, energy, services) than what it earned itself. Even then, a financial injection appeared that balanced these losses.
In both cases, it was money that would otherwise have put the company into serious loss. It could not have been a bank loan (that would have appeared differently in the accounting) and, as we explained, it probably was not foreign exchange differences either. From publicly available data, however, we cannot determine with certainty where this money came from.
The company itself states that Mr. Turek had no contracts with it in 2022, 2023 nor 2024 - neither employment, commercial, nor civil contracts. This also corresponds to the accounting data, which clearly states that exactly zero Czech crowns were paid to the owner in the years 2022 to 2024 (see Profit and Loss Statements 2022-2024, line M, 1 euro is approximately 25 CZK).
So again: why does Filip Turek list income in his European Parliament overview that he officially could not have had?
The issue was first raised in April by Deník N, a Czech investigative outlet, which questioned what Mr. Turek was paying himself hundreds of thousands of Czech crowns (about €10,000) monthly from. Now that Mr. Turek's second company has also published its accounting, even more questions have arisen.
Results of Turek's company Art of Performance, which deals with vintage automobiles. The company did not submit data for 2019 to the Collection of Documents.
Transgas: second company, same zero
The second company owned by Filip Turek is Transgas s.r.o. From this, according to the first July overview in the European Parliament, Mr. Turek was supposed to receive €5,000 (or €60,000 annually) monthly in 2024; however, in the updated September filing, he no longer lists this income.
Official accounting documents show, however, that this company also did not pay Mr. Turek a single crown according to the accounting records. Transgas developed practically no activity until the end of 2023, and in 2024 it earned only €48,000, but had even higher expenses, thus finding itself in a slight operating loss, which was again covered by an unspecified income (about €5,800). Under these circumstances, the company did not even have the resources to pay the high fees that Mr. Turek lists.
Not all Transgas companies are the same
Turek's company Transgas s.r.o. is not identical to the older joint stock company Transgas, which ceased to exist, nor is it the large Canadian company TransGas. Mr. Turek simply founded a limited liability company with the same name in 2017. This Turek's company has been operating an online shop since 2024.
Inconsistencies in the "bestseller" story
In the interview with Hospodářské noviny, Mr. Turek claimed that Transgas has income thanks to the sale of his book "Hranatá legenda" (Square Legend): "Just in the first week, 3,000 copies were sold for 22 euros each, it's a bestseller."
However, Mr. Turek himself stated that the print run of his book ("limited edition") is exactly three thousand copies. The book is still commonly available in bookstores and on his own website. Sales therefore have not come close to the claimed success.
Conflict of interest in the automotive industry
In spring, media reported (DeSmog and Deník Referendum) that Turek is the rapporteur of the European committee regulating the automotive industry, while newly claiming in the second declaration that he receives €10,000 monthly for "automotive industry consultancy."
In the updated declaration, Mr. Turek states that he performs these consultations as a self-employed person. We found that he indeed established a trade license in August 2024. However, when he was asked in a television debate on Czech TV Prima who he receives this money from, he replied that he receives it "from my own company" - thereby denying that he receives a quarter million of Czech crowns (about €10,000) monthly as an independent consultant in the automotive industry.
However, as we have proven, his companies could not pay him such amounts because they did not have sufficient turnover or profit. This creates a serious contradiction: either Mr. Turek is not receiving the money he lists in his declaration, or he is receiving it from a different source than he admits.
Money from nowhere
To sum up, MEP Filip Turek:
- Declares income in official documents in EP that, according to his companies' accounting, does not exist
- When this fact is questioned, he suddenly changes the source of his income but maintains almost the same sum
- Claims that his current monthly income comes from consultations in the industry that he himself regulates
- Does not respond to direct media questions about the origin of his money
Similar to his "racing career" and "presidency" of associations with three members, also in the case of finances, Filip Turek creates a story that, upon closer examination, does not correspond to reality.
This raises questions: Who is actually paying MEP Turek €10,000 monthly when, according to the accounting, it is not his own companies? And why doesn't the MEP want to reveal the true source of his income?