The subject of Collegium Humanum is back due to Wednesday's arrest of former MEP Ryszard Czarnecki. However, a lot of controversy has recently arisen around this university, mainly related to the diploma trade taking place there. The CBA and the prosecutor's office have taken action in this matter, the former rector of the university has faced dozens of charges, the university itself recently changed its name, but the students' problems remain. We sum up what we know so far in the Collegium Humanum scandal.
Agents of the Central Anticorruption Bureau detained Ryszard Czarnecki on Tuesday afternoon. At the same time, his wife Emilia H. was detained in Warsaw.
As reported by the spokesman for the Ministry of Interior and Administration and the Minister Coordinator of Special Services, Jacek Dobrzyński, “the proceedings conducted jointly with the CBA and the branch office of the National Prosecutor's Office in Katowice concern the Collegium Humanum.”
As tvn24.pl journalist Robert Zieliński explained on air, “this is a different case than the investigation that is ongoing at the prosecutor's office in Zamość and concerns the suspicion of defrauding hundreds of thousands of zlotys on so-called mileage allowances.”
– As I understand it, after the prosecutor's office decided to arrest the wife as well, it is almost certain that the wife's employment Richard Czarnecki at the Collegium Humanum university was a form of bribe for the MP himself. In reality, she did not work, she was paid money and it was actually a remuneration for certain services for the Collegium Humanum university, which, as an MEP, Ryszard Czarnecki regularly fulfilled – reported Zieliński.
This Warsaw university, which was established in 2018, quickly became one of the largest Polish private universities. However, many irregularities related to its functioning have recently come to light. We remind you of them.
Trade in diplomas
According to the findings of journalists, including “Newsweek”, the success of the university was related to offering quick courses guaranteeing an MBA diploma. The credibility of these diplomas (allowing, for example, to avoid competitions for members of supervisory boards of State Treasury companies) was supposed to be guaranteed by foreign universities. However, they themselves turned out to be only economic activitieswithout the authority to organize MBA studies.
The graduates of Collegium Humanum included politicians, presidents and board members of state-owned companies, officers of special services and military commanders. Although Collegium Humanum was a forge of personnel primarily for politicians of the United Right, the graduates also include people from the Civic Coalition and other political circles, including the then and currently ruling opposition.
– It was simply a diploma factory – said the Minister of Science in the report “Black and White” Darius Wieczorek.
Prosecutor's charges, including against former rector
February 21 CBA agents detained people associated with the authorities of the Collegium Humanum university. They were charged with participating in an organised criminal group aimed at committing crimes consisting in issuing false documents certifying the completion of postgraduate studies and accepting material and personal benefits in connection therewith.
The head of an organized criminal group, Paweł Cz., was charged by the prosecutor with committing 30 crimes in connection with his position as rector of a non-public university, including: misappropriation of property to the detriment of the university, abuse of a relationship of professional dependence and causing other people to engage in sexual intercourse or submit to other sexual acts, as well as making threats against witnesses in order to influence their testimony in the case. Later, the number of charges against the former rector increased to 57.
The way the former rector behaved towards his colleagues was described by Renata Kim from “Newsweek”, who was one of the first to describe how Collegium Humanum works.
– He doesn't respect boundaries and constantly crosses them, especially in relationships with young men, whom he first hired for work and then molested – claims the journalist. – This is a man who destroys other people, many of these people left work in the ambulance, with strokes, stopped eating, I also heard such stories – Kim recalled.
Paweł C., former rector of Collegium HumanumTVN24
Investigative findings to date
In March we informed that Paweł C. started cooperating with the prosecutor's office and described in detail the years-long procedure of issuing diplomas in exchange for bribes.
– Mr. Paweł C. did not exercise his right to refuse to provide explanations, he did provide explanations. These explanations are now being verified – informed Anna Adamiak, spokeswoman for the Attorney General. Not only politicians and their families, but also athletes, celebrities and scientists were supposed to apply to Paweł C. for MBA diplomas, doctorates and habilitations. – We are talking about several hundred diplomas – informs Anna Adamiak.
The prosecutor's office speaks of an organized criminal group led by the rector. – And this criminal group issued postgraduate diplomas in a situation where the people did not meet the criteria, did not attend classes, and did not pass the required exam – said the prosecutor's spokeswoman at the time.
READ ALSO: “We already have the first repentant people”. Investigation into the scandal at Collegium Humanum
Student Problems: Minister Talks About a “Vicious Circle”
In June this year, the authorities decided to change the name of the university, which now it is called the University of Business and Applied Sciences “Varsovia”.
However, there are still problems for students who started studying there. As “Gazeta Wyborcza” described in early September, they cannot get their diplomas or documents that would allow them to transfer to other studies.
On September 4, Minister of Science Dariusz Wieczorek said he was aware of the problem. He said he had met the university's administrator several times on the matter. – I also met with representatives of local governments. The problem is that the university currently does not have, for example, grade cards, or in short, these records were not kept at all, so it cannot issue any certificate. Students turn to lecturers, and lecturers do not want to sign anything, so it is a vicious circle – said Wieczorek.
The head of the Ministry of Science emphasized that the university should not conduct recruitment for the next year of studies. – I do not believe that it is possible to fix this pathology that we were dealing with so quickly – said Wieczorek.
The Minister recalled that at the beginning of the year, when his ministry started to sort out this issue, There were 25,000 students and 80 research and teaching staff enrolled at the Collegium Humanum university. – A very serious problem. In my opinion, we need to apply for compensation today. And we will encourage – where possible – to fill out these cards and return the documents to students, but this is already beyond the reach of the Ministry of Science – he said. He explained that the ministry he heads in this matter, based on current regulations, can only “ask the university's administrator to show more empathy”.
Main image source: TVN24