Orlengate
Encyclopedia
Orlengate was the biggest corruption scandal in modern Polish
political history. Disclosed in 2004, the scandal began with the arrest, on 7 February 2002, by the UOP
(Office for State Protection) of Andrzej Modrzejewski, the CEO of PKN Orlen
. In 2002 the Sejm
(the lower house of the Polish parliament) convoked a PKN Orlen investigation commission to investigate the scandal.
Modrzejewski had been arrested on the order of the attorney general's office. The arrest was a source of controversy from the outset, carried out on the eve of a meeting of the board of directors. Two hours before the meeting Modrzejewki was released and the board of directors removed him from his position.
Wiesław Kaczmarek (Treasury Minister until January 6, 2003) stated in an interview for Gazeta Wyborcza
published on 2 April 2004 that the real purpose of the arrest was to provoke Modrzejewki's dismissal and, as a consequence, not allow signing of a contract for oil supplies worth $14 billion. According to this interview the decision of the arrest was taken during an unofficial meeting in the Prime Minister's cabinet with Leszek Miller
, Barbara Piwnik (Minister of Justice) and Zbigniew Siemiątkowski
, the Chief of UOP
. Wiesław Kaczmarek, who was also one of participants, disclosed the purpose of the meeting to avoid possible future accusations of a misconduct during his office of Treasury Minister.
attorney's office began their investigation into the case. The Sejm
's official commission for special services, also known as PKN Orlen investigation commission, started an independent investigation on 2 July 2004 and found that the UOP
put pressure on the attorney's office. The Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego
(State Security Agency) denied it. In April 2004 the commission for special services proposed convocation of a special investigation commission. This decision was taken by the Sejm
on 6 July 2004.
The commission discovered new threads in the case, On 21 October 2004 it published notes form the Intelligence Agency
describing a meeting between Jan Kulczyk
and Władimir Ałganow in July 2003. Jan Kulczyk was explaining the importance of his contacts with Aleksander Kwaśniewski
who could enable a privatisation of Rafineria Gdanska on advantageous conditions for Russians.
On 10 October 2004 the commission received recordings made by ABW of phone calls of lobbyist
Marek Dochnal
. He was negotiating with the Treasury Minister Zbigniew Kaniewski the conditions of sale to Russians some important Polish power companies. Dochnal was sent to the Minister by Sejm
deputy Andrzej Pęczak of SLD
, who collaborated with Dochnal receiving a luxurious car as a pay-off. The recordings include negotiations about the interior of the car.
The commission did not, however, reach a conclusion. By a part of public opinion it was considered a political tool of the rightist opposition parties (PiS
, PO, LPR) to destroy presidential aspirations of Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
political history. Disclosed in 2004, the scandal began with the arrest, on 7 February 2002, by the UOP
Urzad Ochrony Panstwa
Urząd Ochrony Państwa or UOP was the intelligence agency of Poland. It was founded on April 6, 1990, as a department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 1996 it was transformed into a separate government agency under the supervision of the Prime Minister...
(Office for State Protection) of Andrzej Modrzejewski, the CEO of PKN Orlen
PKN Orlen
PKN Orlen is a major European oil refiner, and petrol retailer. The company is Poland's and Central Europe's largest publicly traded firm with major operations in Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, and the Baltic States...
. In 2002 the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
(the lower house of the Polish parliament) convoked a PKN Orlen investigation commission to investigate the scandal.
Modrzejewski had been arrested on the order of the attorney general's office. The arrest was a source of controversy from the outset, carried out on the eve of a meeting of the board of directors. Two hours before the meeting Modrzejewki was released and the board of directors removed him from his position.
Wiesław Kaczmarek (Treasury Minister until January 6, 2003) stated in an interview for Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza is a leading Polish newspaper. It covers the gamut of political, international and general news. Like all the Polish newspapers, it is printed on compact-sized paper, and is published by the multimedia corporation Agora SA...
published on 2 April 2004 that the real purpose of the arrest was to provoke Modrzejewki's dismissal and, as a consequence, not allow signing of a contract for oil supplies worth $14 billion. According to this interview the decision of the arrest was taken during an unofficial meeting in the Prime Minister's cabinet with Leszek Miller
Leszek Miller
Leszek Cezary Miller is a Polish central-left-wing politician, leader of the Democratic Left Alliance , Prime Minister of the government of the Republic of Poland in 2001-2004.-Childhood and youth:...
, Barbara Piwnik (Minister of Justice) and Zbigniew Siemiątkowski
Zbigniew Siemiatkowski
Zbigniew Siemiątkowski is a Polish politician. He was Minister of Internal Affairs, 1996–97, and head of the Intelligence Agency , 2002 – April 2004.- Life :...
, the Chief of UOP
Urzad Ochrony Panstwa
Urząd Ochrony Państwa or UOP was the intelligence agency of Poland. It was founded on April 6, 1990, as a department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 1996 it was transformed into a separate government agency under the supervision of the Prime Minister...
. Wiesław Kaczmarek, who was also one of participants, disclosed the purpose of the meeting to avoid possible future accusations of a misconduct during his office of Treasury Minister.
PKN Orlen investigation commission
After the publication of the article the KatowiceKatowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
attorney's office began their investigation into the case. The Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
's official commission for special services, also known as PKN Orlen investigation commission, started an independent investigation on 2 July 2004 and found that the UOP
Urzad Ochrony Panstwa
Urząd Ochrony Państwa or UOP was the intelligence agency of Poland. It was founded on April 6, 1990, as a department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 1996 it was transformed into a separate government agency under the supervision of the Prime Minister...
put pressure on the attorney's office. The Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego
Agencja Bezpieczenstwa Wewnetrznego
The Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego is the Polish government counterintelligence state agency tasked with the collecting of domestic intelligence etc. Foreign operations counterpart is Agencja Wywiadu.-See also:...
(State Security Agency) denied it. In April 2004 the commission for special services proposed convocation of a special investigation commission. This decision was taken by the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
on 6 July 2004.
The commission discovered new threads in the case, On 21 October 2004 it published notes form the Intelligence Agency
Agencja Wywiadu
Agencja Wywiadu or AW is a Polish intelligence agency, tasked with the gathering of public and secret information abroad for the Republic of Poland....
describing a meeting between Jan Kulczyk
Jan Kulczyk
Jan Kulczyk, born June 24, 1950, in Bydgoszcz, is a prominent Polish business oligarch. He is the owner of Kulczyk Holding with headquarters in Warsaw, and an international investment house Kulczyk Investments with headquarters in Luxembourg and offices in London, Kiev and Dubai...
and Władimir Ałganow in July 2003. Jan Kulczyk was explaining the importance of his contacts with Aleksander Kwaśniewski
Aleksander Kwasniewski
Aleksander Kwaśniewski is a Polish politician who served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005. He was born in Białogard, and during communist rule he was active in the Socialist Union of Polish Students and was the Minister for Sport in the communist government in the 1980s...
who could enable a privatisation of Rafineria Gdanska on advantageous conditions for Russians.
On 10 October 2004 the commission received recordings made by ABW of phone calls of lobbyist
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
Marek Dochnal
Marek Dochnal
Marek Dochnal is a Polish businessman and polo player.In 1990 he founded a company called Proxy with Sergei Gavrilov, a Russian banker who held a passport from Belize. In 1993 Marek Dochnal co-founded the company called Chemico, which was to take over chemical and fuel businesses, but never did...
. He was negotiating with the Treasury Minister Zbigniew Kaniewski the conditions of sale to Russians some important Polish power companies. Dochnal was sent to the Minister by Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
deputy Andrzej Pęczak of SLD
Democratic Left Alliance
Democratic Left Alliance is a social-democratic political party in Poland. Formed in 1991 as a coalition of centre-left parties, it was formally established as a single party on 15 April 1999. It is currently the third largest opposition party in Poland....
, who collaborated with Dochnal receiving a luxurious car as a pay-off. The recordings include negotiations about the interior of the car.
The commission did not, however, reach a conclusion. By a part of public opinion it was considered a political tool of the rightist opposition parties (PiS
PIS
Pis or PIS may refer to:* Prawo i Sprawiedliwość , Polish political party* Manneken Pis, a sculpture of a urinating boy, a Brussels landmark* Poitiers - Biard Airport in France...
, PO, LPR) to destroy presidential aspirations of Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz
Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz
Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz is a Polish politician. He was a member of the left-wing Democratic Left Alliance, the Prime Minister of Poland from 1996 to Autumn 1997, the Foreign Minister of Poland in the governments of Leszek Miller and Marek Belka , the speaker of the Sejm in January – October 2005...
.
Commission members
- Józef GruszkaJózef GruszkaJózef Gruszka is a Polish politician, MP, representing Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe.Gruszka is a graduate of the State Agricultural School and a member of Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, elected in Kalisz constituency...
, Polish Peasant Party (PSL)Polish Peasant PartyThe Polish People's Party , is a centrist, agrarian, and Christian democratic political party in Poland. It currently has 31 members of the Sejm, one member of the Senate, and three Members of the European Parliament. It is the junior partner in a coalition with Civic Platform.The party was...
- chairman - Roman GiertychRoman GiertychRoman Jacek Giertych is a Polish politician; he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education until August 2007. He was a member of the Sejm from 2001 until October 2007, and chairman of the League of Polish Families party.- Biography :Roman Giertych comes from a prominent family of Polish...
, League of Polish Families (LPR)League of Polish FamiliesThe League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
- vice-chairman - Zbigniew WassermannZbigniew WassermannZbigniew Wassermann was a Polish politician. He was an MP representing Law and Justice .Wassermann was born in Kraków...
, Law and Justice (PiS)Law and JusticeLaw and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
- vice-chairman - Andrzej AumillerAndrzej AumillerAndrzej Aumiller is a Polish politician, Minister of Construction and Member of Parliament representing Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland . He is a graduate in gardening from the Agriculture Academy in Poznań...
, Labor Union (UP) - vice-chairman - Bogdan Bujak, Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)Democratic Left AllianceDemocratic Left Alliance is a social-democratic political party in Poland. Formed in 1991 as a coalition of centre-left parties, it was formally established as a single party on 15 April 1999. It is currently the third largest opposition party in Poland....
- member - Andrzej Rożański, Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)Democratic Left AllianceDemocratic Left Alliance is a social-democratic political party in Poland. Formed in 1991 as a coalition of centre-left parties, it was formally established as a single party on 15 April 1999. It is currently the third largest opposition party in Poland....
- member - Andrzej GrzesikAndrzej GrzesikAndrzej Grzesik is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 9501 votes in 28 Częstochowa district, candidating from Samoobrona Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej list....
, Samoobrona - member - Andrzej CelińskiAndrzej CelinskiAndrzej Celiński is a Polish socialist politician, a prominent leader of the Democratic opposition to the communist regime, and after 1989, a member of the Sejm and Senate and Minister of Culture....
, Socialdemocracy of Poland (SDPL) - member - Konstanty MiodowiczKonstanty MiodowiczKonstanty Miodowicz is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 14505 votes in 33 Kielce district, candidating from Platforma Obywatelska list....
, Citizens Platform (PO) - member - Zbigniew Witaszek, FKP - member
- Antoni MacierewiczAntoni MacierewiczAntoni Macierewicz is a Polish Catholic politician, anti-communist activist, member of Sejm, journalist and a former internal affairs minister, former vice-minister of national defence in Jarosław Kaczyński's government, and current parliamentary representative.-Early years and activity during...
, RKNCatholic-National MovementRuch Katolicko-Narodowy is a small political group in Polish parliament, MPs elected from the Liga Polskich Rodzin electoral committee.- Members of Polish Parliament :MP, constituency*Jerzy Czerwiński, Opole...
- member