Reading the analysis of the National Prosecutor’s Office prepared in February for Michał Szczerba, the chairman of the investigative committee on the “visa scandal”, there is no doubt that the whole case was deliberately exaggerated. The document, the contents of which were obtained by the portal wPolitce.pl, explicitly states that the investigation concerned only 607 applications from foreigners, and only 358 visas were issued.

READ ALSO: Warsaw court rejects application. Daniel Obajtek will not be detained or brought to investigative committee meeting

But that is not the end. Most of the cases are in Asian countries and not – as Szczerba and Tusk argue – in African countries, including Arab states.

It should be noted that in the course of the proceedings, the correctness of the procedures related to the examination of visa applications for a total of 607 foreigners is being analyzed, and based on the materials obtained so far from diplomatic missions, it has been established that visas have been granted in 358 cases. Letters from Edgar K. regarding foreigners are addressed primarily to Polish consular posts in India, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, some cases related to visa processing carried out at posts in Indonesia, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia

– we read in a document from February this year.

CBA and the prosecutor’s office

There is no doubt that this case was a priority of the service during the Right Union government, and the activity was carried out efficiently and without delay. This also gives the lie to the rhetoric used by the new PO MEP and the current Prime Minister. Documents sent to Szczerba by the National Prosecutor’s Office show that the investigation, among others, into the case against Edgar K. and Piotr W. (former State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) was initiated on March 7, 2023, and only 3 days later, the first charges were filed against the two intermediaries who (according to the prosecutor’s findings) paid bribes to Edgar K. Previously, the Service (CBA) was involved, and their materials led to the dismantling of the ring and the end of the operation.

“Special Regulations”

Szczerba’s suggestion of a special legislative change allowing a large influx of foreigners was also just a fairy tale. The change was never implemented. The project was withdrawn.

A request to state the position on the draft regulation was sent to Mateusz Morawiecki – Prime Minister, ministers, Coordinator of Regulatory Impact Assessment at the Prime Minister’s Chancellery and President of the Government Legislation Center. No position was published on the RCL website.The end of legislative work was caused by the withdrawal of the above project.

– we read the information sent to Szczerba by the National Prosecutor’s Office.

The investigator also informed Michał Szczerba that other proceedings were still ongoing in the extensive investigation (by the prosecutor’s office during the PiS government) and would be continued. The document also contains detailed information about Edgar K. and his associates. However, these findings also show that the “visa scandal” was just an example of official corruption exaggerated by the media, with a very limited actual scale, which was quickly detected and neutralized by the actions of the service and the prosecutor’s office during the government of the Right Union.

The letter from the National Prosecutor’s Office, released in February, revealed the political reasons behind the outbreak of the “scandal” and its small scope. The document must be fully disclosed so that politicians cannot later build a false narrative.

World Bank