Court to hear case against Economy Minister Steinhoff

A regional court in Warsaw will begin hearing a case in which the prosecution accuses Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Janusz Steinhoff of crimes against the state, including mismanagement, neglecting the interests of the economy, and favoritism. The accusations against Steinhoff were originally brought by Aleksander Gudzowaty, the owner of the Bartimpex gas company. Gudzowaty claims that Steinhoff discriminated against his company when Steinhoff promoted Statoil and the Russian Gazprom while ignoring Bartimpex. In February the prosecution dismissed the case, saying that the accusations did not concern any particular decision made by the economy minister; however, the court said that an investigation into the matter should be made. (Rzeczpospolita, p. C1) M.T