UW politicians arrested in Lodz property development corruption case

The former president and vice-president of Lodz City Council, Marek Czekalski and Pawel Pawlak respectively, have been arrested and charged with accepting zl.450,000 in bribes. Two other men, a lawyer and a businessman, have also been taken into custody in connection with the case. The charge relates to a decision to overturn a housing development plan that had previously been approved. The decision to grant permission instead for German investor Metro AG to go ahead with the development of an M1 hypermarket was made when Czekalski and Pawlak were in charge of the city council. Following their arrest, Czekalski, a former president of Lodz's Freedom Union, and Pawlak, a member of the local parliament, have both been excluded from the Freedom Union voting lists. (Gazeta Wyborcza, June 23-24, p. 4, June 25, p.13) P.W.