An investigation into the visa scandal is underway. Another 6 people heard the allegations

The Lublin Faculty of the National Prosecutor's Office managed the first indictment in the investigation regarding the so -called visa scandal. 6 people were accused of crimes regarding paid protection – the transfer or promise to Edgar K. money in return through brokering visits in Polish consular facilities.

On Thursday, prosecutor Katarzyna Calaów-Jaszewska from the press department of the National Prosecutor's Office informed about directing the indictment to the District Court for Warsaw-Śródmieście. Investigators accused of committing crimes regarding a paid protection: Beata W., Saikata B., Anzhalika R., Filipa P., Monika R. and Mariusz G.

All the accused, apart from Mariusz G., confessed to the crimes alleged. Beata K. and Saikat B. faced the voluntary submission to punishment, i.e. 10 months in prison and a fine. The accused faces up to 8 years in prison.

The allegations against the accused are related – as reported in the communiqué – with one of the threads of the investigation regarding the activities of Edgar K., who “in exchange for property benefits or the promises of obtaining them, mediated in obtaining visas for foreigners”, citing influence in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in Polish diplomatic missions, using actual acquaintances with the then vice -minister of foreign affairs, Piotr W.

The prosecutor's office accused the accused of a total of 14 crimes regarding paid protection from March 2022 to April 26, 2023, consisting in the transfer or promising to Edgar K. property benefits in exchange for broken down in the arrangement of visa matters in Polish consular facilities. As established, it is about amounts of two to several thousand zlotys for each visa obtained.

It was stated that the accused's acts relate to the transfer of data of 364 foreigners through Piotr W. and the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Polish diplomatic facilities, located from 13 countries, mainly in Asia.

“The interventions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding foreigners, undertaken on the initiative of Edgar K., usually concerned the acceleration of procedures for recognizing visa applications by enabling submission of visa applications outside the order, in some cases they also had an impact on the method of recognition of visa applications by consuls” – said in a message.

The prosecutor's office added that in the face of five suspects, including Edgar K. and Piotr W., the investigation is continued.

So -called The visa scandal broke out in the summer of 2023. In August 2023, Piotr Wawrzyk, who was responsible for consular matters, including a visa system, was dismissed from the function of the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Lack of satisfactory cooperation” was given as the reason. A few days later, the then Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki admitted that the resignation of Wawrzyk was associated with the CBA activities.

In the following days, the media began to reveal irregularities when issuing visas. Described, among others The matter of immigrants pretending to be film crews from Bollywood who were to receive Polish visas for money. At that time, information appeared that in April 2023 a collaborator of Wawrzyk was detained, Edgar K. The prosecutor's office determined that K. received bribes for a visa from 607 people.

In January 2024, Wawrzyk was detained by officers of the Lublin CBA delegation in the investigation regarding paid protection in connection with the acceleration of visa procedures.

In July this year The then Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General Adam Bodnar summed up that in connection with the so -called The prosecutor was charged with three public officials with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: P. Wawrzyk, Marcin J. and Beata B., as well as eight people referring to influence in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (including Edgar K.) or transferring property benefits in exchange for intermediance in obtaining visas for foreigners.

The matter of the so -called The visa scandal was also dealt with by the Sejm Remand Commission established in December 2023. In December 2024, the Commission presented the final report from its works, whose main theses include Lack of supervision in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the process of granting visas conducive to corruption, unsealing of the visa issuing system, lack of control over the influx of immigrants, lack of migration policy. The investigation commission also decided about notifying the prosecutor's office of suspected crime by 11 people, including by the former head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau and former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. PiS submitted a separate sentence for the report. (PAP)

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