– At a certain stage, Morawiecki's government opened the door for Russians, for Russian IT specialists, and did not close this door when the war broke out – said Michał Szczerba, MEP of the Civic Coalition, in “Kropka nad i” on TVN24, referring to the conclusions of the Supreme Audit Office regarding the visa scandal. PiS MP Kazimierz Smoliński said that after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, “the European Union did not introduce a ban on Russian citizens entering its territory” and it could not have been introduced unilaterally.
“By the end of 2023, i.e. 1.5 years after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, 1,838 visas were granted to Russian citizens” under the Poland Business Harbour program – reports “Gazeta Wyborcza”, citing a report by the Supreme Audit Office. “NIK clearly writes that the program could have significantly reduced the security of the state” – we read in “GW”. 344 more visas were also to be issued at the Visa Decision Center.
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Szczerba: You didn't care about safety at all
This matter was discussed in “Kropka nad i” on TVN24 by MEP Michał Szczerba of the Civic Coalition, who until recently was the chairman of the investigative committee for the visa scandal, and PiS MP Casimir Smolinski.
– I have the impression that when the free media cite the results of the inspection carried out by Supreme Audit Officeit is said that you simply did nothing about security – Szczerba addressed the PiS representative.
Szczerba said that public documents of the Internal Security Agency and the Intelligence Agency “show that Jarosław Kaczyński, Mateusz Morawiecki, Zbigniew Rau, Mariusz Kamiński were warned that a full-blown war was underway”. – It was February 2022, all the services said: you have opened a channel for citizens of the Russian Federation, a channel for IT specialists, there is a war and people who we do not want here, who pose a terrorist threat, are entering through this channel – he continued.
– At a certain stage, the Morawiecki government opened the door for Russians, for Russian IT specialists, and it did not stop this door when the war broke out. The Internal Security Agency asked: we need counterintelligence protection, because we are not able to properly verify these people, we are not able to properly verify Belarusian companies controlled by Russian capital – the MEP continued. He added: – And that was the moment when this program had to be stopped for the Russian Federation. 2022 passed, 2023 passed, you were still letting Russians in.
Smoliński: It was impossible to unilaterally introduce a ban on the entry of Russians
Kazimierz Smoliński, in response to Szczerba's words, emphasized that after a full-scale invasion Russia on Ukraine “The European Union has not introduced a ban on Russian citizens entering the territory of the European Union.” – They entered all countries. So here, it was not possible to introduce a ban unilaterally. You can introduce restrictions, but you could not introduce a ban – he added.
Referring to the conclusions of the NIK auditors, he stated that “there is no report, because if there was, it would have been published on the website of the Supreme Audit Office”. – Some media have obtained the so-called draft report, which I do not know when it will be made public, what its final content will be. This is only a draft – he argued.
Smoliński: It was impossible to unilaterally introduce a ban on the entry of RussiansTVN24
“There are no sacred cows”
Szczerba and Smoliński also commented on the possible interrogation Zbigniew Ziobro by the parliamentary committee of inquiry into Pegasus. The committee received an expert opinion on the health of the former Minister of Justice, which – as its chairwoman Magdalena Sroka informed – allows for his questioning. Ziobro himself said that he was surprised by this, because “no expert examined him”. The spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office, Przemysław Nowak, informed that investigators obtained documentation from five medical facilities and on this basis the expert issued an opinion, considering that a direct examination was not necessary.
– It's very good that he will testify. There are no sacred cows. He was a manager in the Justice Fund for eight years. This was a source of illegal financing, in my opinion, of the PiS election campaign not only in 2019. The people of Solidarna (now Sovereign – ed.) Polska took full advantage of it – commented Szczerba.
Smoliński assessed that in such a situation Zbigniew Ziobro should be examined personally. He himself stated that he is undergoing treatment in foreign facilities. – I do not know if the prosecutor's office knows from which facilities it obtained this data. The health condition of a person suffering from cancer changes in various ways. I believe that he should be examined before the examination or summons – said the PiS MP.
Main image source: TVN24