Ex-Orlen CEO had future culture minister checked for foreign influence
The former CEO of dominant Polish energy group Orlen has said he had a report prepared on the future culture minister concerning connections to foreign influences in relation to the purchase of Russian crude oil and protection of the company's interests.
The investigative report into Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz commissioned by Orlen was revealed on Thursday by the minister for state assets, Borys Budka.
Budka told private broadcaster TVN24 that he was in possession of documents that he said showed that during last year's general election campaign, an investigation by an American entity was commissioned into Sienkiewicz, which Budka described as absolutely illegal.
"Orlen signed the contract (and) paid almost half a million zloty (EUR 116,000) for a short report to be compiled on Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz," Budka said.
Daniel Obajtek, who was CEO of Orlen Group at the time, claimed the report showed that "companies connected to Mr Sienkiewicz received from Orlen and (gas conglomerate - PAP) PGNiG multi-millions in payment for, among other things, consulting on the issue of buying Russian oil and gas."
Budka said the report contained "various types of nonsense" about Sienkiewicz's previous business interests, which he said "have no value."
In response to Budka's statements, Obajtek took to the X platform on Friday, writing: "It is unseemly, Minister, to expose your party colleague like this. The report you mentioned on TVN24 concerns checks on connections with foreign influences, including in relation to the purchase of Russian crude oil and gas and the protection of Orlen's interests as a company.
"Mr Budka, please publish the report in full rather than hurl baseless accusations," Obajtek tweeted, going on to call on the media to demand the report's full publication in the public interest, in order to show "how close the current government is to Russia." (PAP)
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