Bugaj removed for preferential treatment of wife's firms in flood clean-up

Zbigniew Bugaj, the Prime Minister's assistant responsible for flood relief in southern Poland, has been removed from his office. A special government committee has confirmed information reported by Rzeczpospolita, according to which Bugaj manipulated tenders for repair work in the flooded areas, giving preferential treatment to companies belonging to his wife. He also personally settled accounts between the firms and the state. Despite the fact that auditors who examined the way funds were used for construction work in Zywiec and the Bielsko Biala powiat found numerous irregularities, it is still unclear whether any crime was in fact committed. According to government officials, Bugaj should not have approved the tender won by his wife. "It is a violation of good habits. Were he a decent man, he would have turned to the Transport Minister Jerzy Widzyk for advice," said Maciej Musial, head of the Prime Minister's office. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A3) J.K.