The electronic devices purchased by the Marshal's Office in Białystok, including telephones, were intended to be delivered to potential investors as part of the region's promotion. As agreed, some of them went to officials. After nine years, an invalid judgment was passed against three people. The proceedings against five were conditionally discontinued.
The trial that took place before the District Court in Białystok was a retrial after the earlier partial annulment of the acquittal verdicts.
These are tenders from 2011-2013 concerning the project – co-financed by EU funds – to create and develop a network of investor service centers, which was implemented by the Department of Regional Policy of the Podlaskie Voivodeship Marshal's Office. Initially, people became interested in tenders CBAand then the prosecutor's office, which in 2016 submitted an indictment to the court.
The phones were to be distributed to future investors
The allegations concerned the preparation of the tender (preparation of the description of the subject of the contract, in the opinion of the investigators – in violation of the regulations), the validity of the purchase of electronic devices and the resulting material damage. It was mainly about mobile phones, but also car navigations and e-book readers. They were to be loaded with materials promoting the Podlaskie Voivodeship and, with such content, distributed to future investors.
However, when settling the project, these purchases were recognized by the so-called an institution intermediating in the transfer of EU money, as ineligible for such financing. The Marshal's Office had to pay back over PLN 480,000 with interest. zloty. He did this at the end of 2014. The prosecutor's office also claims that some of the phones purchased in the tender were distributed contrary to the intended purpose and objectives of the project, because they were sent to, among others, to family members of two officials. The allegations here concern the abuse of powers and acting to the detriment of the public interest.
The verdict was acquittal. The case returned to the docket
After a trial lasting several years, in June 2020, invalid acquittals were passed. However, in the fall of 2021, the appellate court partially overturned them and in this respect remitted the case for reconsideration in the first instance. He upheld the acquittal on charges relating to the so-called eligibility of individual expenses. In this respect, the judgment is final.
The accused are mainly current or former employees of the marshal's office.
Suspended sentences
The second trial lasted from December 2022. The defendants pleaded not guilty. The defense lawyers wanted an acquittal. The prosecutor's office demanded suspended prison sentences for all defendants ranging from half a year to one year and eight months and a fine of PLN 1,500. PLN up to 15 thousand zloty. Some of these people would also have to repair the damage, i.e. return the equivalent of the misappropriated phones.
On Wednesday (November 12), the district court issued a judgment against three people. He sentenced two to one year and four months of suspended prison and fines of PLN 8,000 each. zloty. The third person was sentenced to a fine of PLN 10,500. zloty.
In the case of the five remaining defendants, the court also found them guilty, but conditionally discontinued the proceedings. In their case, he ordered cash benefits for social purposes.
The judgment is not final
Main photo source: Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez/PAP