In the spotlight: Jan Kulczyk
Kulczyk, 54, had been expected to fly in from America, where he had been undergoing medical treatment, for his star turn before the commission, which is investigating the mysterious circumstances of the dismissal two years ago of Orlen's then-chief executive, Andrzej Modrzejewski, and his replacement by Zbigniew Wróbel, an associate of President Aleksander Kwaśniewski.
But citing deteriorating health, Kulczyk failed to make his date with the commission on Tuesday last week, sending a representative instead.
Kulczyk denies any wrongdoing, stating that as a minority shareholder, he had nothing to do with the appointment. Suspicions were raised however, when the commission learned of intelligence reports placing Kulczyk at a meeting with Vladimir Alganov, a former KGB officer, in Vienna last summer. The reports state that Kulczyk suggested he could use his influence with President Kwaśniewski to restart plans to privatize the Gdańsk oil refinery, in which Russian buyers had earlier expressed interest.
Before finally being admitted to a hospital during his stopover in London last Monday, Kulczyk, in a two-hour interview with the Financial Times, claimed that the investigations were damaging Polish business and driving away foreign investors.
"If people attack me, a standard-bearer for business, they attack other entrepreneurs as well. If I feel insecure in Poland, can anybody else feel secure?" Kulczyk demanded.
He revealed last week that he had cut his shares in Orlen from 5 percent to 4.78 percent-below the level requiring disclosure-due to his frustration with the scandal. He even admitted that he was reluctantly considering getting rid of his stake in Orlen altogether.
The commission now expects Kulczyk to appear on November 30, and has given him until this week to present adequate justification for his failure to attend the hearing.
(A.Ł.)
But citing deteriorating health, Kulczyk failed to make his date with the commission on Tuesday last week, sending a representative instead.
Kulczyk denies any wrongdoing, stating that as a minority shareholder, he had nothing to do with the appointment. Suspicions were raised however, when the commission learned of intelligence reports placing Kulczyk at a meeting with Vladimir Alganov, a former KGB officer, in Vienna last summer. The reports state that Kulczyk suggested he could use his influence with President Kwaśniewski to restart plans to privatize the Gdańsk oil refinery, in which Russian buyers had earlier expressed interest.
Before finally being admitted to a hospital during his stopover in London last Monday, Kulczyk, in a two-hour interview with the Financial Times, claimed that the investigations were damaging Polish business and driving away foreign investors.
"If people attack me, a standard-bearer for business, they attack other entrepreneurs as well. If I feel insecure in Poland, can anybody else feel secure?" Kulczyk demanded.
He revealed last week that he had cut his shares in Orlen from 5 percent to 4.78 percent-below the level requiring disclosure-due to his frustration with the scandal. He even admitted that he was reluctantly considering getting rid of his stake in Orlen altogether.
The commission now expects Kulczyk to appear on November 30, and has given him until this week to present adequate justification for his failure to attend the hearing.
(A.Ł.)
