Corruption on motorways: national auditor presses charges

Krzysztof Szwedowski, NIK vice president, said that at least three separate investigations are in progress. The alleged misdeeds range from renegotiating construction contracts by unauthorized middle-ranking civil servants, said to have cost the budget some zł.2.5 million, to the illegal exploitation of some parts of the motorways. Finally, Szwedkowski said, a former deputy minister for infrastructure and a number of other senior officials are under investigation for "breaching the rules of public finance discipline," which appears to mean overly generous contracts for ‘friendly' businesses. Deputy Prime Minister Marek Pol, who is in charge of motorway construction, rejected the auditor's allegations as "based on fact, but without adequate explanation." (Puls Biznesu, p. 6) A.N.