NIK finds major irregularities in Agriculture Restructuring Agency

The Supreme Board of Inspection (NIK) accuses the former heads of the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture (ARiMR), Miroslaw Miernic zuk and Andrzej Smietanko, of grossly mismanaging agency finances. NIK also announced that the Agency has badly specified the terms of the bid concernin g the implementation of the Integrated Administration and Control System, IA CS, which will contain databases with information on agricultural land and a nimals which is designed to calculate the amount of direct payments made by the European Union (EU) to Polish farmers. The report revealed that ARiMR ha d paid zl. 1.6 million for a plan for ensuring the transportation of goods. The plan, 71 pages long, was a compilation of an offer made by a Fiat dealer , information on PKN Orlen products, and insurance by Warta. "There was a "t ake and pay" system created in the Agency. Directors and their deputies sign ed certain contracts which meant their bosses had no choice but to accept th e deal," said Zbigniew Wesolowski, the deputy head of NIK. Currently the cas e of IACS is being investigated by the Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw and the State Security Office (UOP). (Rzeczpospolita, p. B2; Prawo i Gospodarka, p. 10) A.K.