WARSAW: The Speaker of Poland’s upper house of parliament, Tomasz Grodzki, has called on the government to provide full disclosure regarding its knowledge of an escalating cash-for-visas scandal.
The controversy has cast a shadow over Poland’s international reputation as a responsible democracy, prompting concerns about corruption and its potential impact on the nation’s security.
Media reports suggest that migrants paid substantial sums, up to $5,000 (£4,000) each, to expedite their work visa applications. Although seven individuals have been charged in connection to this scandal, none of them are public officials. Recently, Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk was dismissed following these grave allegations.
On the same day as Wawrzyk’s dismissal, Poland’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) conducted a search at the foreign ministry, resulting in the termination of the director of its legal service. The ministry, now undergoing an audit relating to the scandal, announced the termination of all contracts with outsourcing companies responsible for visa applications since 2011.
Opposition MPs contend that as many as 250,000 visas for individuals from Asia and Africa were irregularly issued by outsourcing companies. However, the government disputes this figure, claiming that only several hundred visas were issued through this irregular process.
Donald Tusk, leader of the opposition Civic Platform party, expressed his concerns regarding the scandal’s implications for Poland’s migration policy, further emphasizing the gravity of the issue.
In response to the unfolding scandal, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki accused Tusk of attempting to create problems for his governing Law and Justice party (PiS). Morawiecki vehemently denied the existence of a widespread issue and dismissed the allegations surrounding the scandal.
Speaker Tomasz Grodzki, in a televised address, emphasized the detrimental impact of the scandal on Poland’s reputation as a responsible democratic nation. He stressed the need for a comprehensive and detailed explanation of the matter, underlining the gravity of what he called the biggest scandal we have faced in the 21st century.
Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro downplayed the scale of the issue in a subsequent interview, contradicting Grodzki’s assertions.
