Daniel Obajtek, the former head of Polish energy giant Orlen, publicly challenged Borys Budka, hinting at a personal stake in the minister’s motives and suggesting that Budka should turn his attention to real work. The clash underscored rising tensions between Budka and the former business leader as the political and corporate spheres collided in public commentary.
Budka’s critique of Orlen’s former president
Speaking on Polsat News, Budka described inspections at Orlen and said the information he received from the company was deeply troubling. He pointed to figures from the prior week showing that Orlen needed to write down more than 1.6 billion złoty due to unsuccessful investments. Budka also mentioned Orlen Trading Switzerland (OTS), a trading arm of the Orlen group created in August 2022. Recently, Orlen announced that OTS would record a depreciation in its 2023 results because it had paid in advance for undelivered crude oil, with only a slim chance of recovery.
Budka argued that Obajtek and his associates founded the Swiss entity despite warnings from Polish services. He described a man with a controversial background who, according to Budka, was cautioned about even by American intelligence sources. Budka criticized Obajtek for trying to distance himself from the decisions now and insisted that responsibility for what happened at Orlen should rest with him.
– Budka asserted his expectation that accountability would follow in due course.
Accountability in view
Obajtek later responded to Budka’s remarks via his X platform, reiterating a message that emphasized serious work and questioning the minister’s motives in a retort that kept the focus squarely on accountability.
The discussion shifted to a broader business reality: many international firms run trading subsidiaries with management closely attuned to market dynamics. Budka noted that he was no longer part of the top leadership at Orlen, and that the new management has continued the OTS business. He argued that the previous leadership, with decades of trading experience, could have fulfilled the existing contracts and that the write-down did not have a foundational basis in the near term. He contended that OTS showed profitability before the 2023 impairment and suggested that the moves made by the subsequent management altered that path.
– Budka stressed that the matter should not be trivialized and that accountability would ultimately be determined by ongoing investigations and legal processes.
– Obajtek concluded by urging people not to be mocked, insisting that those involved would bear responsibility in due time.
[Context and reporting were attributed to PAP, Polsat News, X platform commentary, and wPolityce in coverage.]