Lodz officials received zl. 800,000 in hypermarket planning permission scam

Yesterday, the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Radom placed an indictment against Marek.C., the leader of the local Freedom Union (UW) and the p resident of Lodz between 1994-1998. The prosecutor also indicted Pawel P., a former member of the management board of Lodz city council, another UW. Both politicians are accused of taking bribes totalling zl 800,000 between 1997 to 2000, in exchange for granting planning permission for two hypermarkets in Lodz. They are faced with a penalty of between two to 12 years in prison. The presidents of two companies and one lawyer involved in obtaining the planning permission to build M-1 and Carrefour hypermarkets have also been indicted. The accused denied the charges. Marek C. said to a reporter after leaving the prosecutor's office, "I am innocent. The charges and Insin uations against me are false". (Rzeczpospolita, p. A5) P.W.