Law and Justice (PiS) announced legal steps against the State Election Commission (CPC) due to delays in approving the party's financial statements from the 2023 election campaign. The party's treasurer, Henryk Kowalczyk, informed the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that due to a two-way postponement of the decision by PKW, the Law and Justice Office bears additional costs related to the charging of interest on debt drawn for the campaign.
Financial Statements of the Law and Justice – PKW postpones the decision
The destiny of the accounts of the PiS election committee for parliamentary elections in 2023 remains uncertain. The PCW was to decide whether to reject the study at the end of July, but the Commission postponed its gathering until 29 August. The main subject of the PKW analysis is to find whether the Law and Justice Office utilized public funds to finance the campaign, which would constitute a violation of the Electoral Code.
PiS will file a suit regardless of the decision of PKW
The PiS Treasurer, Henryk Kowalczyk, announced that the organization would file lawsuits against PKW, regardless of the final decision of the Commission. "For now we are waiting for a decision, but there will be lawsuits, due to the fact that even though PKW has put off the decision, it costs us interest" - said Kowalczyk. The Law and Justice took out a debt for an election run whose repayment deadline expired at the end of July.
Financial problems of the Law and Justice – no subsidies
Due to the postponement of the decision by PKW, the PiS has not yet received an entity grant related to the obtained mandates, nor subsidies from the state budget for statutory activities. According to PKW calculations, the planned yearly subsidy for Jarosław Kaczyński's organization is PLN 25 million 933 thousand. 375. The absence of these measures prevents the lot from paying off the loan, resulting in interest. "We can do this, while PKW did not meet the deadline, so we have not yet paid off the debt and we will not drop the case," added Kowalczyk.
Renegotiation with the bank
Currently, PiS is in the process of renegotiating the terms of the credit agreement with the bank. "The bank is always flexible, due to the fact that it wants to regain its credit, not lose it, it is obvious," said the party's treasurer, expressing hope for a affirmative solution for the party.
Possible consequences of rejection of the report
According to the rules, the PPW may accept the financial statements without reservation, indicating the shortcomings, or reject them. The electoral code requires absolute rejection of the study if the funds collected, adopted or spent in breach of the rules exceed 1% of all the measures of the committee.
Rejection of the electoral committee's accounts may consequence in serious financial consequences for the PiS. The organization may lose up to 75% of the entity grant and state budget subsidy. The simplification of these measures, although not exceeding 75%, would represent a crucial financial burden for the parties.
Summary
The dispute between the PiS and the PKW regarding the financial statements of the electoral run in 2023 could have serious political and financial consequences. Notwithstanding the final decision of the PKW, the PiS intends to exercise its rights in court, arguing that the hold in the Commission's decision has put the organization at financial loss.
Daniel Głogowski
Expert in his field – Publicist, author and social activist. The first articles were published in 1999 for global publishers. For more than 30 years, he has gained his experience through cooperation with the largest editorial offices. In his articles, he seeks to address controversial topics and present first viewpoints that allowed for a deeper knowing of the issues discussed.
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Writing has nothing to pay for loans drawn to run a campaign
