Disarming the critics
Just in case you were going to ask, "What's so new about that?" and recall the Starachowice scandal (does anyone still remember Starachowice?), the snag is that it is the "one-armed bandit" variety that has dominated the headlines.
"The mafia makes more money on slot machines than on narcotics," said "Masa", a former underworld boss who is now under the witness protection program. His words went unnoticed for a while, even as the parliament was working on a law taxing and, along the way, legalizing the business. Then the "one-armed bandit" issue came back with a vengeance to haunt the politicians and the media. In his secret speech to Parliament the week before, Andrzej Barcikowski, the head of the Internal Security Agency (ABW) appears to have warned the deputies of an approaching publication of corruption allegations relating to the slot machine taxation, saying the allegations were inspired by illegal lobbying.
This attempt at strong-arming by the secret services on "one-armed bandits" proved abortive, as the allegations were duly published. It was Anita Błochowiak, a Left Democratic Alliance (SLD) deputy who stands accused of introducing the amendment that reduced the tax rate on slot machine to zł.230 (€50) a year. She has since denied proposing the amendment, despite signing a document to that effect. Błochowski said also that Zbigniew Chlebowski of Civic Platform (PO) got there before her. Her claim is corroborated by notes made by finance ministry officials present at the session of the parliamentary commission working on the law.
Marek Borowski, the speaker of the parliament, has since prepared a white book, apparently containing all the details of the legislative process relating to the issue. Sadly, the documents do not prove conclusively who was the first to propose the reduced tax rate on slot machines, let alone cast any light on another, related issue; that is, whether Jerzy Jaskiernia, the leader of the SLD party, took a zł.38 million bribe. Not that anyone expected them to, with the possible exception of minister Marek Wagner, the head of the prime minister's chancellery, who said "nothing could be easier than unraveling all the details of the process that led to this law being passed."
His disarmingly naive statement caused no small amusement for anyone even vaguely familiar with the complexity of the work on the Broadcasting Act, as revealed by the parliamentary commission of investigation.
But there may be a method to this madness. The deputy who signs her name under a proposed amendment can then claim to have nothing to do with it. The identity of the person who proposes legislation at an official session of a parliamentary committee is not recorded in the minutes of that session. In this way, the responsibility for bad laws is depersonalized, thus taking away any arguments from politicians' potential critics. An impotent parliament needs a disarmed media.
"The mafia makes more money on slot machines than on narcotics," said "Masa", a former underworld boss who is now under the witness protection program. His words went unnoticed for a while, even as the parliament was working on a law taxing and, along the way, legalizing the business. Then the "one-armed bandit" issue came back with a vengeance to haunt the politicians and the media. In his secret speech to Parliament the week before, Andrzej Barcikowski, the head of the Internal Security Agency (ABW) appears to have warned the deputies of an approaching publication of corruption allegations relating to the slot machine taxation, saying the allegations were inspired by illegal lobbying.
This attempt at strong-arming by the secret services on "one-armed bandits" proved abortive, as the allegations were duly published. It was Anita Błochowiak, a Left Democratic Alliance (SLD) deputy who stands accused of introducing the amendment that reduced the tax rate on slot machine to zł.230 (€50) a year. She has since denied proposing the amendment, despite signing a document to that effect. Błochowski said also that Zbigniew Chlebowski of Civic Platform (PO) got there before her. Her claim is corroborated by notes made by finance ministry officials present at the session of the parliamentary commission working on the law.
Marek Borowski, the speaker of the parliament, has since prepared a white book, apparently containing all the details of the legislative process relating to the issue. Sadly, the documents do not prove conclusively who was the first to propose the reduced tax rate on slot machines, let alone cast any light on another, related issue; that is, whether Jerzy Jaskiernia, the leader of the SLD party, took a zł.38 million bribe. Not that anyone expected them to, with the possible exception of minister Marek Wagner, the head of the prime minister's chancellery, who said "nothing could be easier than unraveling all the details of the process that led to this law being passed."
His disarmingly naive statement caused no small amusement for anyone even vaguely familiar with the complexity of the work on the Broadcasting Act, as revealed by the parliamentary commission of investigation.
But there may be a method to this madness. The deputy who signs her name under a proposed amendment can then claim to have nothing to do with it. The identity of the person who proposes legislation at an official session of a parliamentary committee is not recorded in the minutes of that session. In this way, the responsibility for bad laws is depersonalized, thus taking away any arguments from politicians' potential critics. An impotent parliament needs a disarmed media.
