Poland Tusk: Former PiS government embezzled billions
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused the former national-conservative PiS government of embezzling billions in public funds. Inspectors from the financial administration are currently auditing 90 state institutions, Tusk said in Warsaw. According to estimates by the financial administration, the PiS government, which led the country from 2015 to 2023, is said to have spent the equivalent of 23 billion euros illegally.
09.08.2024, 17:47
09.08.2024, 17:48
SDA
The national-conservative PiS government, which put Poland on a confrontational course with the EU and damaged relations with the German government with anti-German slogans, led the country from 2015 to 2023. The PiS lost the parliamentary elections in October. Since December, Poland has been governed by a center-left alliance under Tusk.
Tusk added that 62 people are currently under investigation. The public prosecutor's office had received 149 complaints. "What stands out the most is a deliberate strategy of using public money that flowed from ministries to foundations run by politicians or their family members." The PiS had been very creative in using these public funds for election campaign advertising.
Tusk spoke of a "closed system" in which not only public funds, but also entire authorities and their employees were used for the benefit of the then ruling PiS party.
The Ministers of the Interior, Justice and Finance signed an agreement to jointly pursue abuses and crimes of a financial nature and bring the perpetrators to justice. The aim is also to return the embezzled sums.
Former head of government Mateusz Morawiecki rejected the accusations. They are lies aimed at dissolving Poland's largest opposition party, the PiS politician wrote on X.
