Former head of Orlen, Daniel Obajtek, summoned to a meeting of the investigative committee for the so-called visa scandal, claims that the summons was not effectively served on him. The opinions of the committee members are divided on this. If Obajtek does not appear at the meeting, the committee will discuss this.
On Tuesday, the parliamentary investigative committee into the so-called regarding the plans of the visa scandal to interrogate the former presidents of Orlen and Grupa Azoty: Daniel Obajtek and Tomasz Hinc. I would like to ask them, among other things: o the use of foreigners in the investments of both companies: Olefiny III and Polimery Police.
On Monday, Obajtek, who is running for the European Parliament on the PiS list in Podkarpacie, wrote on Platform He added that “it has as much in common with visas as dust on Mars.”
Receipt of the letter must be confirmed with a handwritten, legible signature with the full first and last name on the receipt.
– Obajtek emphasized.
According to him, “no such situation has occurred.”
The head of the Commission of Inquiry into the visa scandal, Michał Szczerba (KO), replied on the website X:
I am pleased that Daniel Obajtek has publicly confirmed his knowledge of the subpoena for a hearing before the Commission on the Visa Scandal.
According to the vice-chairman of the committee, Marek Sowa (KO), the procedure for summoning a witness was in two stages and the summons was first sent by registered mail.
If we know that there is obstruction and evasion, in the second step the police receive a summons and the police have received it. I don’t know what the police’s answers are, but I think they will be given at the committee meeting on Tuesday
— said Sowa in an interview with PAP.
However, apart from the formal issues, the witness is fully aware that he has been called. This concerns public information on which the witness himself comments, but ignores the subpoena
– he emphasized.
Another deputy chairman of the committee, Daniel Milewski (PiS), noted in an interview with PAP on Monday that the meeting of the investigative committee “is not a concert or circus performance that should be invited through a poster.”
Such a summons, if made promptly, is in good tone and was often the case when the persons summoned were consulted. They were asked what date they could appear and they were summoned on that date
– he pointed.
Moreover, this witness does not have to be called to the committee meeting at all. Before we discuss the effectiveness of the call, there needs to be a discussion of logic
— Milewski also assessed the fact that he called Obajtek.
Correctly informed
On Sunday, Obajtek said in an interview with Polsat News at one of the picnics in Podkarpacie that – if he was informed correctly and in accordance with the law and it was handed to him – he would appear before the investigative committee. He assured that he did not run away or hide.
There are police present who also participate in this picnic
– Obajtek noticed.
On Sunday, Szczerba reported to He posted, among other things: a scan of a note from the police station in Myślenice, which shows that the former head of Orlen is not at a certain address. He also attached a letter from the National Public Prosecution Service. It states that, based on the information provided by the CBA branch in Lublin, other addresses where Obajtek may be staying were identified and that on May 22, requests to serve the summons were sent to the relevant commands.
On Monday, the provincial police headquarters in Rzeszów confirmed that it had received a request from the police station in Myślenice (Lesser Poland Voivodeship) to issue a summons to the former president of Orlen.
Szczerba had previously announced that if Daniel Obajtek did not respond to the police’s call, the commission would ask the court to impose a disciplinary penalty on him.
According to the Law on Sejm Investigative Committees, “if a person (…) fails to appear at the request of the committee without justification, leaves the place of the act before its completion without the consent of the committee, or abstains in an unjustified manner of giving testimony or taking an oath, the commission may return the amount to the court in Warsaw with the request to impose a disciplinary penalty.
The provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Executive Code of Criminal Justice apply mutatis mutandis to the procedure regarding the handling of the request (…) and the execution of the imposed disciplinary penalty.
– the law determines.
A fine of up to PLN 3,000 may be imposed on a witness, expert, translator or specialist who, without valid reason, has failed to appear at the request of the authority conducting the proceedings or, without the consent of that authority, has left the place where the procedure has been conducted. the procedure before its completion. Zloty
– is the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The court can also – in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure – order mandatory witness hearings.
Orlen’s main production plant, the largest refinery and petrochemical complex in Poland and one of the largest in Europe, is located in Płock. The company signed the contract for the construction of the Olefiny III complex in June 2021 with Hyundai Engineering, based in Seoul, and Tecnicas Reunidas, based in Madrid. Completion of the investment is planned for the first half of 2027.
In 2023, when construction of the Olefin III plant was already underway, a container city for workers was built nearby, housing approximately 6,000 people. people. The company then announced that, according to the information provided by the contractor, there were and would be workers at the construction site, including: from South Korea and Spain, as well as from India, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Turkey and Turkmenistan.
Szczerba told PAP that the committee had collected documents from the Ministry of State Assets, showing that there were irregularities in the “recruitment” of employees by two companies with the participation of the Ministry of Finance – Orlen and Grupa Azoty – for their investments.
Commission of Inquiry into the so-called The Visa Scandal is investigating abuses, negligence and omissions in the legalization of foreigners’ stay in Poland in the period from November 12, 2019 to November 20, 2023.
mly/PAP
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.