Poland‘s upper house parliamentary speaker has demanded transparency from the government regarding its awareness of a visa-related scandal that is gradually gaining momentum.
According to Tomasz Grodzki, this problem is damaging Poland’s international standing as a responsible democratic nation.
While the government has disclosed minimal information, reports in the media suggest that migrants may have paid as much as $5,000 (£4,000) individually to expedite their work visa requests.
Seven individuals have been brought up on charges, with none of them being government officials.
Piotr Wawrzyk, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the country, was relieved of his duties last week in the wake of the allegations.
The removal of Piotr Wawrzyk coincided with a search of the foreign ministry by Poland’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) on the same day. Furthermore, the director of the ministry’s legal service was also relieved of duty.
As part of the ongoing audit linked to the scandal, the ministry has stated its decision to terminate all contracts with outsourcing firms responsible for visa applications dating back to 2011.
The government contested this number, asserting that only a few hundred visas were actually issued.
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‘Anyone who wants to get from Africa to Poland goes to our embassy, buys a stamped visa at a special stand, fills in their details and off they go! PiS [governing party] migration policy,’ Donald Tusk, the leader of the opposition Civic Platform party, posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has pointed the finger at Mr. Tusk, alleging his efforts to forge difficulties for the Law and Justice party (PiS) in power, all while refuting the existence of a widespread problem.
‘This case is ruining our country’s reputation as a responsible member of the democratic community of the free world and jeopardizes our security, therefore it must be explained in detail,’ said Mr Grodzki, speaker of Poland’s upper house, in a televised address on Friday.
‘This is the biggest scandal we have faced in the 21st century. Corruption at the highest levels of government, bringing a direct threat to all of us.’
In a subsequent interview with the state-run news channel TVP Info, Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro asserted that Mr. Grodzki had magnified the scope of the issue.
According to the CBA, their awareness of this matter dates back to July 2022, and they have been diligently verifying it since then.
The scandal poses a risk of undermining the PiS’s anti-immigration position just one month before the upcoming parliamentary elections.