PKO BP privatization adviser - who will be the lucky one?

Yesterday finally saw the launch of the long-delayed tender to pick an adviser for the privatization of PKO BP. However, the government signalled that that the sale, while planned for this year may be delayed until 2004. The Treasury Ministry, said that bids must be placed by April 18 and the winner would have until the end of 2004 to execute the sell-off, adding that as much as 30% PKO BP could be floated on the Warsaw bourse. The bank has total assets worth over $20 billion and four million customers. Its equity is less than $1 billion. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 8; Rzeczpospolita, p. B7; Reuters) J.K.