The court has imposed temporary arrest on two people in connection with an investigation into irregularities at the National Centre for Research and Development, Mateusz Martyniuk, spokesman for the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, announced on Friday.
As part of the investigation conducted by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw into irregularities at the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBIR), prosecutors announced charges against three additional suspects.
– The prosecutor filed a motion to the court to apply temporary arrest against Hanna S. and one of the businessmen and (…) today the court applied this most severe preventive measure against Hanna S. and one of the entrepreneurs – said Mateusz Martyniuk, spokesman for the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, on Friday on TVP Info.
NCBiRLeszek Szymanski/PAP
He said that the prosecutor applied non-custodial preventive measures against the “third suspect” because “he partially admitted to the charges brought against him.”
Charges against three people
Prosecutor Martyniuk announced on Thursday that “Hanna S., former deputy director of the National Center for Research and Development in the years 2022-2023, was charged with participation in an organized criminal group, as well as accepting material and personal benefits in the total amount of not less than PLN 640,000.”
He emphasized that investigators established that Hanna S.'s criminal activity consisted in accepting financial benefits during the period in which she held a public office, as well as personal benefits in the form of luxury items and hotel stays. In return, she was to influence people subordinate to her and members of investment committees deciding on the awarding of grants from the European Regional Fund by the National Center for Research and Development for projects that were created solely for the purpose of obtaining this support by entities that were to conduct a simulated economic activity.
“Prosecutors determined that Hanna S. had turned this activity into a regular source of income,” explained prosecutor Martyniuk.
He also reported that the other two detained individuals are entrepreneurs – Dawid E. and Kamil C. “These individuals issued fictitious invoices. They are charged with participating in an organized criminal group and with committing fraud to the detriment of the National Center for Research and Development – Dawid E. in the amount of PLN 4 million, and Kamil C. in the amount of PLN 3 million, and with the so-called money laundering – Dawid E. in the amount of PLN 600,000, and Kamil C. in the amount of PLN 750,000,” informed prosecutor Martyniuk.
Investigation into the NCBiR case
In March, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw initiated an investigation into the NCBiR case after notifying the Supreme Audit Office.
In October last year Supreme Chamber of Control found numerous irregularities both in the process of preparing and organizing the recruitment of applications for funding in the “Fast Track – Digital Innovations” competition, as well as at the stage of selecting projects. According to NIK, NCBiR did not comply with the competition regulations and its own internal regulations.
In March, the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Lublin announced that Krzysztof B., former president of the NCBR Investment Fund, was detained by Central Police Investigation Bureau.
He is suspected of participating in an organised criminal group aimed at defrauding EU funds, obtaining approximately PLN 8 million in EU funds and laundering dirty money.
Earlier, the Onet portal was the first to unofficially report on the arrests.
Main image source: Leszek Szymanski/PAP