Several State Treasury companies are preparing notifications to the prosecutor's office regarding, for example, unsuccessful transactions, said Robert Kropiwnicki, Deputy Minister of State Assets.
When asked on Tok FM radio whether other companies apart from Orlen were preparing applications to the prosecutor's office, he replied: “Yes. I know that several companies are preparing reports.”
– I think that in May there will be several notifications regarding unsuccessful transactions or obvious mismanagement, for example regarding apparent full-time positions – he said.
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Kropwinicki: matters are being clarified
– These matters are under investigation. The management boards only function for a few weeks and have a lot of work – he added, informing that these companies include listed companies.
According to the Deputy Minister of State Assets, State Treasury companies are in the process of conducting audits. Based on information from the companies, the ministry plans to prepare a comprehensive report.
Investigations against Orlen
Merger with Lotos and sale of 30 percent shares to Saudi Aramco, suspicion of lower fuel prices and mismanagement in connection with the merger with PGNiG SA – these are the subject of several of the most famous investigations in recent months regarding Orlen.
The most famous two investigations were initiated in January 2024. The case of the merger with Lotos and the sale of 30 percent. shares in favor of Saudi Aramco are handled by the District Prosecutor's Office in Płock. The proceedings cover the period from the beginning of 2018 to November 30, 2022 and concern suspected abuse of powers and failure to fulfill obligations by members of the management board of PKN Orlen (after changing its name in July 2023, Orlen – ed.), as well as other persons dealing with property matters. this company, in connection with conducting negotiations, setting conditions and signing agreements regarding the merger of PKN Orlen with Grupa Lotos in Gdańsk, and then signing agreements related to the sale of 30 percent. shares in the Gdańsk Refinery to Saudi Aramco, which was said to have caused significant damage to PKN Orlen – in the amount of no less than PLN 4 billion. An investigation is also underway at the District Prosecutor's Office in Płock on suspicion of lowering fuel prices, limiting their distribution through abuse of powers and causing significant property damage to the company. This proceeding covers the period from August 1 to October 31, 2023. The investigation is intended to determine whether the abuse of powers or failure to fulfill obligations by persons managing Orlen could have led to an unjustified lowering of the prices of liquid fuels relative to market prices, and therefore led to a direct threat of harm to large-scale property damage to Orlen in an amount yet to be determined.
Main photo source: Mateusz Marek/PAP