Łapiński proclaims he is a victim of slander and was fighting corruption

Former Health Minister, Mariusz Łapiński, during a press conference yesterday demanded that the Sejm call an investigation commission to examine how pharmaceutical concerns influenced the formation of drug registration procedures, the setting of prices of imported drugs, and refunds for selected pharmaceuticals. Łapiński has charged the media of dishonesty when reporting on the pharmaceutical sector and announced that if special Sejm Commission would be formed, its meetings would have to be broadcast on television. "This is because there is no other way to show that my actions as well as those of Minister Nauman worked against the corrupt structures in the sector and were beneficial for the public," he said. Łapiński added that he plans to begin legal proceedings against Rzeczpospolita reporter Bronisław Wildstein for slander, adding that his former deputy, Aleksander Nauman, will do the same and sue Senator Marek Balicki. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 5; Rzeczpospolita, p. A1) A.K.