Gov't team reports alleged misuse of funds by anti-corruption bureau
The government team established to look into and punish criminal acts committed under Poland's previous government has notified the prosecutor of alleged embezzlement of public funds by the leadership of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA).
Aleksandra Wisniewska, a Civic Coalition (KO) member of the government team, announced that a "notification has been filed to the prosecutor's office on suspicion of criminal offences by public officials, former MPs Mariusz Kaminski and Maciej Wasik, the then head of the CBA and his deputy (respectively - PAP)."
The notification invoked Article 231(2) of the Criminal Code, which deals with the abuse of power by a public official for the purpose of obtaining financial or personal gain.
The government team's move came in response to allegations of an ex-CBA agent and ex-MP of the former ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, Tomasz Kaczmarek. In a documentary programme aired by private broadcaster TVN on Saturday, Kaczmarek claimed that the CBA operational funds were used in a criminal way.
The former officer gave the example of a trip to Vienna, which he went on with two of the bureau's directors at the instruction of the now jailed former CBA head Mariusz Kaminski and his deputy, Maciej Wasik, both of whom were convicted of abuse of power in a different case in December.
Kaczmarek said the purpose of the trip was ostensibly to locate a factory making gambling machines. "That was just a pretext for those two men to be rewarded for their faithful actions by spending two days in a brothel in Vienna," Kaczmarek told TVN, adding that the trip to the Austrian capital was paid for with taxpayers' money and had nothing to do with tackling crime.
Wisniewska expressed her hope for the prosecution to verify the truth of Kaczmarek's statement. (PAP)
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