Michał Woś called and asked if I would be at the commission today – said Elżbieta Pińciurek, chief accountant at the Ministry of Justice, before the Pegasus investigative commission. She stated that no one in the department she headed knew what the Justice Fund funds would be spent on.
On Friday afternoon, the deputy director of the Department of Budget and Financial Efficiency, the chief accountant of the Ministry of Finance, Elżbieta Pińciurek, appeared before the Pegasus investigative committee.
The witness decided to exercise her right to free speech. At the beginning, Pińciurek presented the scope of tasks performed by the Department of Budget and Financial Efficiency. The scope of duties, as she said, is related to the subject of the commission's activities.
She also discussed the budget department she supervised. – The basic tasks include organizing and managing the budget planning process in the Ministry of Justice and developing the state budget and European funds in the parts managed by the Minister of Justice – explained Pińciurek.
– The tasks of the budget department include providing services to the Minister of Justice, as the administrator of two parts of the state budget, i.e. part 15 – common courts and part 37 – justice – she said.
The minister's services, as she explained, consist in developing draft budget plans for the previously mentioned parts and the draft budget for national and European funds.
Chief accountant of the Ministry of Justice Elżbieta Pińciurek before the Pegasus investigative commissionPAP/Rafał Guz
– Draft plans are submitted to the Ministry of Finance. Every year, we also update the state's long-term financial plan in terms of the part of the budget allocated to the ministry, she emphasized.
As previously reported by the chairwoman of the investigative committee, Magdalena Sroka (PSL-TD), Pińciurek was responsible for the settlement of the Justice Fund at the Ministry of Justice.
Pińciurek: Michał Woś called and asked if I would be at the commission today
Pińciurek testified that in 2017, the department received an application from the Department of Family and Juvenile Affairs to change the financial plan of the Justice Fund. The change was dictated, as she explained, by the amendment to the Penal Code.
The chairwoman of the committee, Magdalena Sroka, asked what role she played in preparing the plan. – Has anyone talked to you about presenting PLN 25 million in the plan as “other tasks”? – asked Magpie.
– In the department, we adopted the figures that were presented to us. In terms of accounting, we did not find any irregularities – Pińciurek replied.
When asked if she knew what the funds would be spent on, she denied it. – We did not have such knowledge, only the application and explanation of the reason for the change in the plan – she explained.
Elżbieta PińciurekPAP/Rafał Guz
When asked whether before the hearing she had been contacted by former Deputy Minister of Justice Michał Woś, at whose request PLN 25 million from the Justice Fund was transferred to the CBA, she replied: “yes, he called and asked if I would be at the committee today.” – The minister calmed me down because I was very stressed – she added.
Main photo source: PAP/Rafał Guz