The parliamentary committee on the visa scandal has completed its work, providing the public with a detailed study which sheds fresh light on the issue of Poland's visa policy in fresh years. On Wednesday, Marek Owl, the president of the committee, presented proposals in the Sejm that raised controversy and sparked a heated exchange of views. The accusations directed at the then ruling PiS organization and key politicians increased the political temperature in the country.
Commission report: Key findings
In early December, the committee adopted the final study and decided to mention 11 notifications to the D.A. of possible crime. As president Marek Sowa said, the documentation includes allegations against many prominent politicians, including Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, abroad Minister Zbigniew Rau, Home Minister Mariusz Kamiński, and erstwhile Minister Jadwidze Emilewicz.
"Today we send a announcement to the National Prosecutor's Office concerning 11 people. Among them include: Zbigniew Rau, Mateusz Morawiecki, Mariusz Kamiński, Jadwiga Emilewicz, Andrzej Stróżny and Lech Kołakowski. The law must be equal for all!" wrote Sowa on 13 December on the X portal, attaching photographs of papers packed in cartons.
Visa problems scale
During the debate at the Sejm, Marek Sowa pointed out that since 2019 Poland has issued over 2 million labour visas, which is almost half of all specified papers issued in the European Union. He stressed that the legislative changes introduced by the Law and Justice Government led to the creation of a strategy which he called "visa factories".
"The PiS government's actions contributed to the uncontrolled influx of migrants with Polish visas. The Ministry of abroad Affairs had a corruptive strategy to handle visas without the procedures in force. PiS politicians had cognition of this, but they did not take action to prevent this situation," said Sowa from the speaker.
Indictments and names
In his speech, Sowa mentioned, among others, the "Wawrzyk letter" and the Kobos affair, which he described as the "top of the iceberg". According to the president of the committee, the study reveals a much larger scale of the problem and many examples of corruption in government structures.
"We will find much more, as well documented and described in the study of the Committee on Corruption Activities," added the Citizen Coalition. He besides pointed out that Poland had become seen internationally as a country leading the most open and liberal visa policy in the Schengen area, which harmed its image.
Responses to the report
The opposition powerfully criticized the government's visa policy, recognising the study as evidence of serious negligence and actions contrary to the public interest. In turn, PiS politicians rejected the Commission's allegations, claiming that they were political and were part of the electoral struggle.
The allegations presented in the study and the committee's actions will surely be the subject of further public and legal debate. Questions about political work and legal consequences for those mentioned in the study stay open.
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