WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A parliamentary panel investigating Poland’s cash-for-visa scandal said Tuesday it will send evidence of alleged legal violations by the previous prime minister and other senior members of his former right-wing government to prosecutors.
The special panel was established to investigate claims of irregularities at the Foreign Ministry’s visa department, especially in the years 2018-2023, when Polish consulates in Asia and Africa allegedly accepted thousands of dollars in exchange for issuing work visas, causing the door opened. for migrants to enter the European Union.
In one of the most egregious examples, dozens of farmers from India were described as Bollywood filmmakers in their visa documents.
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Marek Sowa, the head of the special committee, presented a preliminary report of the panel’s findings on Tuesday after interviewing witnesses and officials and reviewing documents.
Sowa said the committee will inform prosecutors of alleged legal violations linked to former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, ex-Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski and former Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, as well as eight other senior officials. The panel’s report contains allegations of negligence, corruption and abuse of office.
Sowa said Morawiecki’s Law and Justice government has contributed to the uncontrolled inflow of migrants into Poland and the EU. Poland has since tightened its visa rules.
An investigation by Poland’s National Audit Office earlier this year confirmed claims that the country’s consulates in Asia and Africa charged significant fees in exchange for work visas. The audit office found a lack of transparency at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as an environment prone to corruption and poor supervision.
