In 2023, Deputy Minister of Justice Michał Woś agreed to buy a historic building in Racibórz. It was to be used by the Katowice Court of Appeal. Now the ministry has notified the prosecutor's office regarding this investment.
The notification informed about the referral to the National Prosecutor's Office on Friday Ministry of Justice
According to MS, it is about buying and securing a historic building originally intended for the needs of the Court of Appeal in Katowice, as permission he agreed on May 12, 2023 WOŚ. Immediately after the purchase of the property, part of the building collapsed, and therefore it was necessary to immediately secure, because the situation was a direct threat to people and property. MS reports that the purchase of real estate was not preceded by an assessment of the technical condition or the possibility of adapting the object to the required needs, which was already a damage to the property of the Treasury.
Drying the building would last 10 years
The Ministry of Justice announced that expertise showed that there is high biological paralysis of fungi, algae and lichen, and places where salt is crystallized on the walls. In addition, the moisture of the building is so high that the drainage would last 10 years, so it would not be possible to keep paper archives or material evidence there.
MS argues that in the building it would be necessary to design efficient and efficient mechanical ventilation of the basement, and “only after three years maybe it would be possible to get an almost optimal level of moisture”. The ministry draws attention to the inability to fully adapt the facility to the assumptions adopted (seat of the Print Service Digitization Center, Call-Centrice for the courts of Katowice Appeal, warehouse for material evidence, archive).
According to information provided by MS, the total loss of the Treasury related to the purchase and security of real estate and with the investment works carried out (including paying for expert opinions and preparation of project documentation) was at least PLN 4 153 907.65 gross. The estimated cost of the investment was to amount to over PLN 38 million, and the attempt to adapt the building in this state was opposed by the director of the Court of Appeal in Katowice in a letter to MS of September 2024.
Deputy Minister of Justice Arkadiusz Myrcha issued the decision to not constitiate the investment on December 23, 2024.
The ministry announces the consequences
“The Ministry of Justice has notified law enforcement authorities about the possibility of committing offenses under Article 231 para. 1 of the Penal Code (exceeding the rights or failure to fulfill the obligations by a public official) and Article 296 paragraph 1 and 3 of the Penal Code (causing property damage in great size). The materials collected in the case show that the decisions taken in the purchase and preparation of the investment may have caused the investment. A significant financial loss for the Treasury, “the Ministry of Justice informed.
“The Ministry of Justice is of the opinion that every suspicion of mismanagement requires a thorough explanation in the spending of public funds and – in the event of confirmation of irregularities – drawing consequences for responsible persons” – emphasized in the communiqué.
Author/author: blame
Source: PAP
Source of the main photo: PAP