Orlen boss Wróbel bows out under pressure from Belka

Zbigniew Wróbel, the CEO of oil giant PKN Orlen, the country's largest firm, has agreed to step down from his post and leave the company following pressure from Prime Minister Marek Belka. Michał Stępniewski, a representative of Treasury Minister Jacek Socha, asked other shareholders at their annual meeting that ended on Monday to examine the work of PKN's CEO and other senior executives. Additionally, the Sejm is expected to appoint a special committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of PKN's previous CEO Andrzej Modrzejewski. Despite the change in boardroom lineup, the firm still intends to buy the Tarnów-based fertilizer plant Zakłady Azotowe Tarnów (ZAT). Orlen already has a stake in Anvil SA, another key fertilizer producer. ZAT has been looking for protection from creditors since 2002 and still lacks cash for new investments. That said, ZAT currently expects sales approaching the zł.1 billion mark this year, mainly as a result of exports to the EU. (Parkiet, pp. 1, 6; Puls Biznesu, p. 9) J.J.