Deputies will have nowhere to hide

Civic Platform (PO), which together with Law and Justice (PiS) is expected to form the ruling coalition after the Sejm elections this weekend, has unveiled a series of initiatives to curb corruption among Poland's politicians.

Among the key proposals would be a bill to make it impossible for the members of parliament to invest on the bourse directly. Instead, the MPs would either entrust this task to an investment fund, or would locate their capital in so-called blind trusts.

At the moment deputies and senators are allowed to invest in any shares traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE). The only regulation they face is to reveal to the state of their investment trusts in a wealth declaration once a year.

However, PO believes that self-regulation is inadequate. "The sad experiences of the last tenure show that this is a bad system," said PO's deputy Cezary Grabarczyk.

According to Grabarczyk, the new restrictions would concern Deputies, Senators, the Prime Minister, Ministers, Secretaries of State, and general directors in state institutions. The deputy believes that the regulation changes could be drawn-up along the lines of current rules governing members of WSE management boards and the employees of the Security and Stock Exchange Commission (KPWiG).

The plans were publicized as a report was published indicating that the scale of corruption in Poland has remained unchanged for the past five years.

According to research conducted by Transparency International for its 'Corruption Barometer', 15 percent of those questioned admitted to offering a bribe - this compares to 14 percent of those interviewed five years ago.

"The results show that in fact nothing has happened. The government has not taken any effective action against corruption. We only chase pathology but we do not draw any conclusions, not even from the greatest scandals," comments Julia Pitera from Transparency International.

Findings show private entrepreneurs are often involved in this practice, offering incentives to other companies in order to win a contract. At the same time fewer people, six percent compared to 13 percent in 2000, confess they have been presented witha bung. Again, it is usually private businessmen and managers, who admit it.