Business sector rallies to support Krauze against Ziobro

Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro yesterday revealed the charges which will be filed against billionaire Ryszard Krauze, who is a major shareholder in a number of listed companies, including Prokom Software, Bioton, Petrolinvest, Asseco Poland and ABG Spin. Krauze will be accused of giving false testimony and obstructing an investigation. If found guilt he faces up to five years in prison. Krauze is currently abroad and prosecutors did not reveal whether they will issue a European arrest warrant for him. However, the prices of Krauze's companies (apart from Petrolinvest) were not affected by Ziobro's statement although they dropped significantly several days ago when the first news about the possible charges appeared. Representatives of the business sector believe that activities of the prosecutors against Krauze are politically motivated. "This is paranoia which results from the election campaign and will be very detrimental for Poland in the long term," said Marek Goliszewski, the president of the Business Centre Club (BCC). (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 11; Rzeczpospolita, p. A5; Gazeta Wybocza, p. 5) E.B.