The Anti-Corruption Agency in Warsaw announced the arrest of the former Polish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Piotr Wawrzyk, in connection with an ongoing investigation into a visa bribery scandal involving entry into the European Union countries.
The Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) in Poland stated in a release that Wawrzyk, who served as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from January 2021 until August last year, was arrested and charged with exceeding his authority in handling ministry documents. Authorities also searched his home for potential evidence.
Wawrzyk’s arrest occurs amidst a fierce struggle over the rule of law in Poland, where the new government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk pledged to hold the previous Law and Justice Party administration accountable, which lost power in the general elections last October.
The Schengen visa money-for-visas scandal was uncovered in August last year, when Polish media reported that thousands of non-EU citizens, mostly from Asia and Africa, paid money to skip the visa queue at Polish consulates around the world.
It is alleged that about 250,000 visas were issued in exchange for bribes, according to media reports, with opposition deputies at the time estimating the figure to be as high as 350,000.
Tusk, the Polish opposition leader at the time, described the incident as “perhaps the biggest scandal in Poland in the 21st century.”
In its statement, the CBA said its investigations “relate, among other things, to offering promises of financial benefits in exchange for mediating matters related to obtaining residence permits, as well as unlawfully influencing the process of issuing permits.”
The CBA announced that charges were brought against eight other individuals in this case.
Wawrzyk vowed full cooperation with the authorities but insisted on his innocence in a statement to local media through his lawyer. He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
