Official report on Ukraine-Poland pipeline uncovers unsavory businessmen

The director of the National Security Office (BBN) Marek Siwiec yesterday presented President Aleksander Kwasniewski a report on the Odessa-Brody-Gdansk oil pipeline. The President ordered an investigation after a critical article in Rzeczpospolita which cast doubt whether the pipeline is economically viable. The main findings were that individuals involved in the biggest scandals in Poland are actually running the Golden Gate company, which is responsible for constructing the Polish section of the pipeline. Siwiec's report interestingly found that the company did not enjoy a privileged position, nor exclusivity in the investment. A Solidarity Election Action (AWS) Deputy, Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, had recommended the company. Bielecki confirmed that he interested the founders of Golden Gate in the project, but defended his choice by saying, "I am not from the State Security Office and cannot follow people or track their connections." The BBN report underlined the unusual fact that the Ukrainian side had not prepared an economic viabilty study on the oil pipeline, although they have already invested $200 million in the project. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A3) M.M.