Parliamentary commission on visa scandal adopts final report

Last week, the chair of the commission, Marek Sowa (Civic Coalition - KO), presented a draft of the final report, developed alongside members representing the Sejm majority. Amendments could be submitted until Tuesday. The commission met for its final session at 11 a.m.

By around 1 p.m., the commission had approved the report (its findings and conclusions), including accepted amendments. Seven members voted in favor, while three opposed the measure.

The commission accepted amendments submitted by members representing the majority bloc: Marek Sowa (KO), Maria Janyska (KO), Przemysław Witek (KO), Aleksandra Leo (Poland 2050-Third Way), Mirosław Orliński (PSL-Third Way), and Maciej Konieczny (Razem). It also approved certain supplementary amendments from Krzysztof Mulawa of Confederation.

However, amendments proposed by PiS, along with their appendices, were rejected.

During Tuesday's session, the commission also resolved to submit 11 notifications to the prosecutor’s office regarding suspected criminal activity involving 11 individuals.

The list includes Mateusz Morawiecki, the former Prime Minister; Zbigniew Rau, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs; Lech Kołakowski, the former Deputy Minister of Agriculture, along with his associate Maciej Lisowski; Mariusz Kamiński, the former Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration; Jadwiga Emilewicz, the former Minister of Development; and Andrzej Stróżny, the former head of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Additionally, notifications will be submitted regarding Justyna Orłowska, the former Prime Minister’s Plenipotentiary for GovTech; Maciej Karasiński, the former Director-General of the Foreign Service; and the former directors of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Consular Department, Marcin Jakubowski and Beata Brzywczy.

Seven members of the parliamentary investigative committee voted in favor of submitting notifications to the prosecutor's office, while three voted against. According to the committee, the 11 individuals implicated in the notifications acted to the detriment of the public interest.

The first notification concerns Zbigniew Rau, former Minister of Foreign Affairs. The committee alleges that Rau abused his authority by approving the development of the Decision-Making Visa Center and the Consular Information Center through the creation of remote divisions, despite lacking substantive, organizational, and economic justification for such actions.

Furthermore, Rau is accused of failing to fulfill his supervisory duties within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), allowing individuals involved in illegal visa trading to operate within the ministry's structure. The committee also claims Rau neglected oversight of the legislative process for a regulation simplifying visa access for citizens of 21 countries.

Rau, along with former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and former Minister of Development Jadwiga Emilewicz, is accused of abusing their powers and neglecting their duties by initiating and implementing the Poland.Business Harbour program without any legal basis.

This program facilitated simplified visa procedures for companies, startups, and IT specialists but was not formalized in any official documentation.

The committee is also submitting notifications against Mariusz Kamiński, former Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration, and Andrzej Stróżny, former head of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA). Both are accused of failing to act after being informed in July 2022 about illegal practices concerning the legalization of foreigners' residency within the MFA.

According to the committee, Kamiński also neglected his duty to coordinate the activities of the intelligence services, including the Foreign Intelligence Agency and the CBA, despite their knowledge of these criminal activities.

Additionally, he allegedly allowed Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk to participate in the National Security Committee meetings as a substitute for Minister Rau, despite the ongoing allegations against him.

The committee will also file a complaint with the national prosecutor regarding irregularities observed in the actions of the prosecutors from the Lublin Branch of the Organized Crime and Corruption Bureau. These irregularities pertain to compliance with the principle of legality during preparatory proceedings and oversight of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau's activities.

This branch is investigating allegations of bribery linked to expediting visa procedures. Among those charged in this case are former Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk and his associate Edgar Kobos.