Andrzej Lepper dismissed over bribery allegations

The decision came in the wake of a Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) investigation into alleged bribery within the Agriculture Ministry. According to Gazeta Wyborcza, the accusations were so potent that Ludwik Dorn issued his consent for Lepper's temporary detainment, which in the end did not take place. "Two persons have already been arrested," said the governmental spokesperson Jan Dziedziczak, and according to Rzeczpospolita, those detained were demanding huge bribes in exchange for re-zoning agricultural land into investment land in Mrągowo. Lepper refused to willingly step down when asked to do so by the Prime Minister, and claimed that if he was to be dismissed the coalition would fall apart. If this is true, media speculation indicates that early parliamentary elections will be inevitable. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 1; Rzeczpospolita, p. A1; Dziennik, p. 1) A.K.