2023-09-17 17:07 update: 2023-09-18, 14:50
Donald Tusk. Photo PAP/Piotr Polak
Donald Tusk, leader of Poland's main opposition grouping, Civic Coalition (KO), has taken to X to highlight what he described as a 'scandal' over the alleged illegal issuance of visas to thousands of migrants.
Polish prosecutors have brought charges against seven people, three of whom are currently under pre-trial detention in a visa issuance scandal that cost a deputy foreign minister his job.
Prosecutors said the visa applications concerned foreigners submitting applications to Polish diplomatic missions in Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the Philippines and Qatar.
The Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper wrote last week that Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs might have allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants to come to Europe.
Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk, who had been responsible for consular and visa matters at the ministry, was dismissed in late August and was reported in September to have attempted suicide.
"The trade in visas at offices in Africa, the admission of thousands of migrants, the arrests of officials, compromising tapes, a minister in hiding, the suicide attempt of his deputy, the US and EU in shock," Tusk tweeted. "'This is not a scandal, it is not even a little scandal' (quoting ruling party leader Jarosław Kaczynski - PAP). Maybe it's a scandalette, Jarek?" (PAP)
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