Audit reveals irregularities in defence ministry
The Polish defence minister has presented an "opening report" that reveals irregularities in operations under two former defence ministers from the Law and Justice (PiS) government.
Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the new defence minister who took office in mid-December, started his term with an audit of his predecessors' record before making any new decisions.
While in power in the years 2015-2023, PiS criticised the previous government's defence policies and claimed it was restoring the military to its proper shape after years of neglect.
At Thursday's meeting of the lower house defence committee, Kosiniak-Kamysz presented preliminary results from the "opening report" prepared by the new leadership of the Ministry of National Defence.
It concerns the activities of previous ministers Antoni Macierewicz, in charge in 2015-2018, and Mariusz Blaszczak, in 2019-2023.
The report reveals irregularities in the disbursement of public funds, non-existent military units and the lack of a sound analysis of concluded armament deals, the defence minister said.
He added that multiple recently-opened military units have not increased the operational capacity of the Polish armed forces. According to the report, they are poorly staffed and equipped.
"Most of them are mere dots on the map, and the few that have begun to form are draining the staff and resources of the existing ones," he said.
The audit, based on a Supreme Audit Office (NIK) report from 2020, has also discovered irregularities in budget spending amounting to PLN 437 million (EUR 101 mln).
The audit results have also shed light on the armament deals signed by the previous government. Kosiniak-Kamysz pointed out that the vast majority of them were concluded after the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
"We assess these actions as belated and implemented in the absence of a sound analysis of operational needs and financial capabilities," he said. (PAP)
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