Poland’s former deputy overseas minister was arrested in reference to the continued investigation into the nation’s cash-for-visas scandal, Warsaw’s anti-corruption company stated Wednesday.
Piotr Wawrzyk, who served as deputy overseas minister from January 2021 till August final yr, was detained and charged with exceeding his authority in dealing with ministry paperwork, Poland’s Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) stated in an announcement. Authorities additionally searched his dwelling for potential proof.
Wawrzyk’s arrest comes amid a fierce conflict over the rule of regulation in Poland, with the nation’s new authorities below Prime Minister Donald Tusk pledging to carry to account the earlier Regulation and Justice (PiS) administration, which misplaced energy in a common election final October.
The cash-for-visas scandal was revealed final August, when Polish media reported that hundreds of non-EU residents, primarily from Asia and Africa, paid to leap the visa queue at Polish consulates world wide. About 250,000 visas had been allegedly issued in return for bribes, in line with the media studies, with opposition MPs on the time placing the determine as excessive as 350,000.
Tusk, on the time Poland’s opposition chief, referred to as it “most likely the largest scandal in Poland within the twenty first century.”
In an announcement, the CBA stated its investigations “concern, amongst others, making guarantees to supply monetary advantages in alternate for intermediation in issues associated to acquiring residence permits … in addition to unlawfully exerting affect on the course of issuing the permits.”
Eight different people have been charged within the case, the CBA stated.
Wawrzyk pledged to cooperate absolutely with authorities however maintained his innocence in an announcement to native media via his lawyer. He may withstand 10 years in jail if discovered responsible.