RT.com
20 Sep 2023, 00:14 GMT+10
The scheme allegedly allowed thousands of migrants to enter the country
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau has insisted he will not step down despite a growing scandal over allegations that the nation's consulates issued visas to migrants from Africa and Asia in exchange for bribes.
The controversy first emerged in late August when Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk, who was responsible for consular and visa matters, was fired by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki for a "lack of satisfactory cooperation." Poland's Central Anticorruption Bureau (CBA) subsequently launched an investigation into Wawrzyk's activities.
The Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper later reported that the probe had exposed corruption that allowed tens of thousands of immigrants to enter the EU through international recruitment companies. Meanwhile, the Rzeczpospolita media outlet reported that the Foreign Ministry system had allowed people to "skip the queue" to obtain Polish visas for $4,000-5,000.
A parliamentary probe by the opposition Civic Coalition alliance suggested that as many as 350,000 visas issued to migrants from African and Middle Eastern countries could be under suspicion.
Attempting to control the fallout, Rau insisted on Monday that he does not feel "complicit" and even suggested that the scandal "does not exist." The minister admitted to "irregularities" in the issuance of visas, but stated that only around 200 documents were involved. He further insisted that the figure pales in comparison with the 2 million visas issued by Poland in the last 30 months, mostly to Ukrainians and Belarusians.
"If this is the scandal of the century, I prefer to talk about a cascade of fake news," Rau added, responding to claims by opposition leader Donald Tusk that the allegations were "the biggest scandal of the 21st century in Poland."
The controversy erupted one month ahead of parliamentary elections in Poland, where the government has positioned itself as tough on migration. Senate Speaker Tomasz Grodzki, also a member of the opposition, joined Tusk in denouncing what he described as "corruption at the highest levels of government."
Last week, Polish prosecutors announced that they had detained seven suspects in the case, none of whom were state officials. According to Rzeczpospolita, a key figure was named as 'Edgar K', an Indian businessman and associate of Wawrzyk, who allegedly acted as an intermediary in the scheme.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Zimbabwe Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Zimbabwe Star.
More InformationNEW YORK: This week, the Virginia-based Students for Fair Admissions, founded by affirmative action opponent Edward Blum, sued the U.S. ...
LONDON, U.K.: Jet engine maker CFM International said this week that thousands of engine components may have been sold with ...
BATAM, Indonesia: Due to mounting geopolitical tensions and protests against China's activities in the South China Sea, ASEAN member nations ...
FREMONT, California: This week, brain-chip startup Neuralink, owned by billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, said an independent review board granted ...
BOSTON, Massachusetts: Officials said that a Delta flight from Chicago to Boston that was possibly struck by lightning landed safely ...
JAKARTA, Indonesia: An Indonesian court sentenced Lina Lutfiawati, also known as Lina Mukherjee, to two years in prison this week ...
Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 25 (ANI): In a major achievement for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government, ...
(Photo credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports) Megan Rapinoe, star player and activist, bid farewell to the U.S. women's national team ...
French troops will depart the west African nation in ?the months to come,? the president saidFrance will pull its military ...
Paris - French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday, France is imminently to withdraw its ambassador from Niger, followed by the ...
New York [US], September 25 (ANI/WAM): Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the United Arab ...
(Photo credit: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK) Matthew Judon recorded a safety with 2:19 to go and the visiting ...