– Let's be rational about this. If the president's position is so clear, it must also be taken into account – said the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, Tomasz Siemoniak, in “Fakty po Faktach”, referring to the fate of the prepared bill on the liquidation of the CBA, which has not yet been dealt with by the parliament. According to Siemoniak, the abolition of the service from January 2025 envisaged in the project “is unrealistic” because “President Andrzej Duda said very clearly that he would veto the project.”
Minister of Interior and Administration Tomasz Siemoniak he spoke in “Fakty po Faktach” on TVN24, among others, about draft act on the liquidation of the Central Anticorruption Bureau. Already at the end of March this year, the minister announced that such regulations were ready. The Act assumes, among others: liquidation of this service from January 2025.
When asked in “Fakty po Faktach” whether it is possible to keep this deadline, the boss Ministry of Interior and Administration he replied that “of course it is unrealistic.”
– Because the president Andrzej Duda He said very clearly that he would veto any project, he explained. – The project, as I say, is ready. He is ready for the College for Secret Services to comment on this project in accordance with the procedure and then Council of MinistersSejm, Senate and president. However, let's be rational here on this matter. If the president's position is so clear, this must also be taken into account, he continued.
He pointed out that “the essence of this project is that the tasks of fighting corruption will be taken over by the Internal Security Agency, the Central Office for Combating Corruption within the police and the National Tax Administration.” – So the fear that the fight against corruption will stop is absolutely groundless – he emphasized.
“These are earnings many times higher than those of the president, prime minister and ministers”
Siemoniak also talked about, among other things, the resolution adopted by the NBP management board, thanks to which the president of the central bank, Adam Glapiński, will receive much larger monthly bonuses.
According to estimates, his salary may increase by PLN 191,000 within a year. zloty. Information about the salary increase appeared when the work of the commission to bring Glapiński before the State Tribunal began.
– What can I say, it's simply indecent – commented Siemoniak. – And the public sphere should assume a certain kind of decency when it comes to salaries – he emphasized.
As the minister said, “these are earnings many times higher than those of the president, prime minister, and ministers, and it simply shouldn't be like that.” – Even if they are high, this type of increase is absolutely immoral – he said.
The head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration said that “President GlapiÅ„ski is not famous for his gentleness and some restraint, but I am surprised that he behaves this way, because he should simply give up this raise” since he already “earns a lot.”
In response to the comment that it amounts to approximately PLN 1.5 million per year, Siemoniak pointed out that “The National Bank of Poland is a state sphere and of course you can talk here about how much you earn in private banks – and this is a matter for private banks, how much they pay their presidents – “but this is a state bank, the National Bank of Poland, and here the president should earn an amount that would not be the subject of questions.”
– And there should not be such increases as are occurring, amounts unimaginable for ordinary citizens – he added.
GlapiÅ„ski “sooner or later will be held accountable”
The TVN24 guest was also asked about his words about GlapiÅ„ski, which were said in “Fakty po Faktach” in July 2022. Siemoniak then said: – Strong people will come and convince him that he is not the president of the National Bank of Poland.
During Thursday's conversation, the head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration said that “sooner or later he will be held accountable for what President GlapiÅ„ski is doing.”
– I said it in a very specific context, what would happen if he was dismissed and didn't want to leave. President GlapiÅ„ski made a big story out of it and reported it to the prosecutor's office. Of course, nothing came of it, the prosecutor did not take GlapiÅ„ski seriously – said the minister.
When asked if he had received any lawsuit, Siemoniak replied, “of course not.” – It was a piece of gossip from GlapiÅ„ski – he noted.
– However, sooner or later his term will end and he will be held accountable, like any other public figure. He must take into account that the judgment of public opinion, and perhaps the judgment of authorized bodies, will come sooner or later, he added.
Detention of Janusz P., or “the state is acting, the prosecutor's office is acting, the CBA is acting”
The Minister of Interior and Administration also referred to Thursday's the CBA detained three people, including, among others, Janusz P. – former politician and now entrepreneur. The other detained people were his associates. According to the spokesman of the National Prosecutor's Office, PrzemysÅ‚aw Nowak, the ongoing “investigation concerns the unfavorable disposal of the property of several thousand victims for the amount of nearly PLN 70 million.” As Siemoniak assessed, “the state works, the prosecutor's office works, the CBA works.” – If the services or the prosecutor suspect that a crime has occurred, they simply act. And it doesn't matter who he is or who he was in the past, he said.
To the comment that Janusz P. was a famous PO politician in the past, Siemoniak replied that “it shows that there are no sacred cows.” – And just as those who have been committing irregularities for eight years are held accountable, so are other people associated with various political circles in the past – he emphasized.
– I am not satisfied with the successes of the prosecutor's office and the services, although it is good that they work effectively. We'll see, now it's up to the prosecutor's office to decide whether to file charges, it's very likely, he continued.
He also noted that “every person is innocent until the court sentences it, there is a presumption of innocence.”
Help for flood victims. “There are more ideas”
Siemoniak also talked about the amendment to the Act on special solutions in connection with removing the effects of floods, adopted by the Senate on Thursday. He expressed hope that “the president will sign this act quickly, because we need this act.”
– There are various solutions that are beneficial for the victims – leave for cleaning, an allowance of PLN 1,000 for children, housing loan issues, various solutions that are urgently needed – he enumerated. And he announced: – I also declared in the Senate today that we are working on the next project.
The TVN24 guest emphasized that “there are more ideas and local governments and ministries are submitting these ideas.” – We are also currently working on a new project. Of course, we are also working on what the Prime Minister called “reconstruction plus”, that is, long-term reconstruction – he added.
“Liability” in the Pegasus case “will need to be clarified”
He also commented on the work of the Pegasua commission of inquiry. He was asked how well the services cooperate with the commission members, because – as the program host Grzegorz Kajdanowicz pointed out – the commission has some reservations about this. – Of course, there were problems and discussions – he admitted. – I think it's gone. We were involved in this very intensively, talking to committee members and trying to clarify every issue, he added.
He also said that “in recent days, the commission has gained access to the materials it wanted and expected.” – I hope that the committee members will read this material – he said, pointing out that “the committee has received a very good tool here.” – It is in the interest of all of us to fully clarify this issue. However, the actions of the services, the prosecutor's office and the investigative commission need to be coordinated, he emphasized.
Siemoniak was also asked whether those who surveilled Pegasus still work at the CBA. – The bosses are responsible, including the political bosses, and those who made such decisions – these people are not there – he replied.
In response to the comment that we are talking about lower-level people, the minister assured that “every person has been examined by us in this respect.” – Like, for example, the head of the CBA, Mrs. Agnieszka Kwiatkowska. You could say she also had to deal with this, but she behaved very honestly – he pointed out. In his opinion, “it is necessary to distinguish decision-makers, those who made decisions and actions” from others, because “when it comes to individual people, this responsibility will have to be clarified.”
Main photo source: TVN24