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 12 months, was detained and charged with exceeding his authority in dealing with ministry paperwork, Poland’s Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) stated in a press release. Authorities additionally searched his residence for potential proof.
Wawrzyk’s arrest comes amid a fierce conflict over the rule of regulation in Poland, with the nation’s new authorities underneath Prime Minister Donald Tusk pledging to carry to account the earlier Legislation and Justice (PiS) administration, which misplaced energy in a basic 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 accordance 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, known as it “in all probability the most important scandal in Poland within the twenty first century.”
In a assertion, the CBA stated its investigations “concern, amongst others, making guarantees to supply monetary advantages in trade 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 totally with authorities however maintained his innocence in a assertion to native media by means of his lawyer. He may withstand 10 years in jail if discovered responsible.
