RARS Scandal. Justyna Gdańska Released from Jail, Speaks About RARS Scandal. “This Is the Only Way I Can Fix What Happened Because of My Acceptance”

Justyna Gdańska is one of two RARS officials who were arrested and charged with exceeding their authority. In the same investigation, the prosecutor's office wants to bring charges former president of RARS Michał K.., who was detained in London and is awaiting extradition, and Paweł Szopa, CEO of Red is Badwho is hiding from justice.

Justyna Gdańska, after she was released from custody, was interviewed by Wirtualna Polska journalist Paweł Wiejas. – My name is Justyna Gdańska, I was the director of the purchasing office at the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves. In July 2024, I heard the accusation, I will quote here: “exceeding authority in connection with the performance of public functions, which were to consist in preferential treatment of certain contractors”. I would like to apologize for my behavior, which I am ashamed of and very sorry for – she said at the very beginning of the interview.

During the hearing, she refused to answer many questions and provide details due to the ongoing investigation. “I believe that RARS has done a lot of good, but this is no excuse for the irregularities that need to be settled,” she emphasized.

She explained that “at the top of the ladder” of decision-making in RARS was the Prime Minister “supervising the department of development instruments of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister”. – From there, the decisions that created flowed to the President of RARS. (…) Purchases concerning reserves were transferred in a secret mode from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the rest were carried out in public tenders. So everyone had their own boss. The President also did not have the power to decide in every matter. The Chancellery of the Prime Minister put the final stamp on the directional decisions – she pointed out.

Gdańska described how she ended up at RARS. She got the job there “through connections” in 2020, when she was unable to return to her position at PKO BP bank after returning from maternity leave. She was hired as a chief specialist in the purchasing office, and after two years she was promoted to director.

As she said, after her promotion “everything was fine for the first few months”, but later “she was astonished and internally disagreed with what she saw”. – Now it will sound strange, but please believe me, I am an honest person. (…) It happened that I shared my comments, but there was not much space for it – she said.

Asked why she didn't resign from RARS when she began to notice irregularities, she replied: “From the couch, it's easy to criticize me and give advice after the fact. I assure you that if it happened now, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment.”

– At that time, the circumstances were such that, firstly, I couldn't afford to lose my job, and secondly, I didn't know who to trust. The ladder (of official subordination – ed.) ended with high-level politicians. I didn't know anyone in the services, and if I did and went, what guarantee did I have that the interested parties wouldn't find out about it? – she added.

Gdańska said that all major transactions carried out by RARS were reported CBAand a few months after her promotion “various audits began, mainly by the Supreme Audit Office – sometimes there were seven, maybe nine of them at the same time”. – When something raised concerns, but only minor ones, the auditors accepted our explanations. The first allegations appeared in the budget audit in 2024. Because of that, I received a notice of termination on April 26 – said Gdańska.

The former RARS official was also asked about the Agency's cooperation with Paweł Szopa and his company Red is Bad. – Spending hundreds of millions of złoty on his behalf cannot be defended, justified or excused. I will not reveal anything more – apart from the fact that I tried to avoid contact with him. However, it was after purchasing the generators from Szopa that I said “enough” and did not complete several tasks – she said.

Gdańska assured that she had no contact with the prime minister Mateusz Morawieckiand her relations with the then president of RARS, Michał K., were purely professional. She also said that during her work at RARS she did not accept any financial or other form of benefits.

The official spent five weeks in custody. – For me it was an eternity. I know what I did and what my guilt was. Yes, I exceeded my authority. I understood that only by describing to the prosecutor what I was doing, I will erase at least some of my guilt – she said in an interview. Asked if she “cooperated” she replied: – This is the only way I can repair to some extent what happened because of my acceptance.

– It is not a secret that the prosecutor's office has the testimony of not only me, but also that of dozens of other people. Positioning me as the one whose testimony is crucial is definitely an exaggeration. Interpretations and gathering evidence are the task of the prosecutor's office – she noted.

She also commented on the statement of former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who, while she was under arrest, revealed details of her private life at a conference and spoke of “psychological torture” and “the thugs of Bodnar and Tusk”.

– I was furious. I did not authorize the former Prime Minister of Poland to deal with my life. After all, he probably did not even know about my existence until recently, and here he is bringing up something that I myself have never said on a forum. So far, not once during our conversation have I used the child as an excuse. I do not want to play with this – she emphasized.

– What torture? What thugs? I didn't feel intimidated, humiliated or blackmailed for a moment. I am a professional and during those five weeks (in custody – ed.) I also saw professionals, although the circumstances were not nice for me. I found myself in the place where I should be. The services treating me badly is nonsense – added Gdańska.