Law and Justice launched the campaign dubbed Drużyna Afer Tusk in front of the Civic Platform headquarters on Wiejska Street in Warsaw. There, profiles of several ministers and deputy ministers who are under preparatory proceedings, facing indictments, or dealing with court cases or convictions were presented as part of the display.
Tusk affair team
The exhibition showcased profiles of figures such as Sławomir Nowak, Tomasz Arabski, Stanisław Gawłowski, Włodzimierz Karpiński and Sławomir Neumann, among others. The presentation described them as key members tied to Donald Tusk’s seven-year tenure in office. The organizers indicated that the exhibition would travel through all 16 voivodeships with the aim of reminding Poles about the individuals who supported Tusk during his time in power, even as many faced serious accusations yet remained part of the broader leadership circle associated with the PO chair.
Earlier, Piotr Nisztor, a journalist for Gazeta Polska, published a list asserting that as many as 13 ministers and deputy ministers from the PO and PSL governments faced grave charges. According to the journalist, one of them had already been convicted, three more had early convictions, five cases had been referred to court by prosecutors, and four were under investigation. The charges spanned false statements, abuse of power, corruption, participation in criminal activity, and money laundering.
The accusations encompassed serious crimes that could carry lengthy prison terms. The pace of the justice system was noted as slow, resulting in many cases without final judgments to date.
Włodzimierz Karpiński, who served as finance minister in Tusk’s government and had prior legal troubles, was detained for another month in connection with the ongoing waste management case in Warsaw. After the PO lost power, Karpiński was appointed by President Trzaskowski as the head of the Municipal Cleaning Company before taking on the role of Warsaw City Secretary. He faced suspicions of accepting financial benefits, and his associate, Deputy Finance Minister Rafał Baniak, was also under arrest for involvement in the waste case and for transferring financial benefits to his former supervisor.
There are also PO politicians whose immunity prevented indictments, with Senate President Tomasz Grodzki standing out as a prominent example after the Senate majority blocked attempts to waive his immunity for nearly three years.
Political allegations
Beyond the legal cases, there were significant political accusations aimed at PO politicians, including Donald Tusk. Critics argued that the party supported policies favoring the privatization of taxes, particularly value-added tax (VAT). The discussions pointed to amendments to VAT law allegedly driven by tax advisers representing large companies and approved by a parliamentary commission under the influence of certain political figures who were part of Tusk’s circle, including Sławomir Nowak and the head of his political cabinet, as well as other allied figures. This context was cited as contributing to what critics described as a VAT gap during Tusk’s administration, with estimates claiming it stood at 27 percent and later falling to about 4.3 percent during the subsequent government.
The budgetary data cited suggested that VAT revenue in 2023 would surpass PLN 286 billion, a level comparable to the totals reached in 2015 when the PO-PSL government was in power. Critics argued that such comparisons underscored a pattern of revenue expectations aligned with political narratives, while supporters maintained that the tax system underwent reforms. The discussion also touched on ongoing public discourse during Tusk’s tenure, mentioning how some ministers were described as vulnerable to a single misstep and how dismissals were portrayed by opponents as acts of political retribution.
As trials involving former ministers progressed and immunity protected other key PO figures, observers contended that these developments reflected broader political dynamics. The portrayal suggested that public memory was being shaped around a narrative of perceived honesty or dishonesty within PO leadership, inviting citizens to consider how the administration’s record matched its public commitments.
The overall message framed by organizers was that it is important for Poles to assess how the administration truly operated in terms of accountability and integrity, beyond what may be claimed in campaign rhetoric. The narrative emphasized a call for clearer scrutiny of political figures and the actions taken during the years of PO governance, inviting citizens to reflect on the complexity of governance and the balance between governance and accountability.