Poland's auditor alleges criminal offenses in GetBack scandal
The head of Poland’s Supreme Audit Office (NIK) has handed the prosecutor general a list of judges, politicians and financial regulators accused of criminal wrongdoing and a dereliction of duty in connection with the GetBack financial scandal.
"These are the people who served the most important roles in the country, both in the KNF (the Financial Supervision Authority - PAP) and among politicians, as well as in the judiciary," Marian Banas told reporters after meeting with Prosecutor General and Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek on Monday, blaming the legal system and the KNF for failing to fulfil their responsibilities.
The official did not disclose the names of the listed individuals, citing the investigation's secrecy. Still, the Polish media reports suggested that the list involved 21 people, including former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro — both of whom served under the Law and Justice (PiS) party government.
The head of NIK called the submission "shocking" and voiced concern that the scandal, which shed light on the debt collection company's fraudulent bankruptcy, involves an organised group, "almost a criminal one." He pointed to evidence suggesting that high-ranking officials pressured subordinates to carry out illegal actions and procedures.
"It is really hard to believe that the country, which calls itself a democratic and lawful, such unlawful and undemocratic things are unfold, in which an average citizen, who doesn't have political support, is doomed to such destruction," Banas said.
He noted that Zurek vowed to make every effort to resolve the issue and to get at least a partial refund for the victims' losses.
Launched in 2012, GetBack specialised in recovering non-performing loans, mainly from the finance, energy and telecommunications sectors. For years, the company raised funds externally, including through bonds, until it found itself at the centre of a scandal in 2018 after claiming it was negotiating a PLN 250 million (EUR 58.8 million) financing package with Poland's PKO BP bank and the Polish Development Fund (PFR) — a claim both institutions denied. Investigations by the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) led to the arrest of former managers and triggered the company's accelerated restructuring.
In 2018, GetBack was fined millions of zlotys by the state-run Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) for misleading clients about the expected profits on GetBack bonds and claiming that access to them is limited. The company persuaded individuals to buy bonds despite knowing they were unsuitable for them, such as retirees.
In February 2019, prosecutors charged dozens of people and arrested seven linked to, among others, Idea Bank and Lion's Bank in connection with the GetBack probe. According to prosecutors, the defendants caused losses to nearly 400 individual investors who had purchased GetBack bonds worth a total of PLN 90 million (EUR 21.1 million).(PAP)yb/aj
