He discovered the greatest scandal of the Third Polish Republic. “Such things do not happen accidentally”
The first signals about irregularities in FOZZ began to reach the Supreme Audit Office in the autumn of 1989. In October, the control of the Ministry of Finance began, which after two months showed the incompleteness of documents regarding the transactions implemented and their “quiet character”. However, the protocol of this control was to be lost, and the fund continued to act as during the first few months of its existence. Or rather, he would have been working if it wasn't for a tax chamber official, later employed in NIK Michał Falzmann.
See also: A man who knew too much. Mysterious death of the President of the Supreme Audit Office
Falzmann's article put a stick in the anthill
Falzmann's abuse in FOZZ was to be followed by accident during the routine control of one of the companies related to the Fund. It was about Universal, which during the PRL was a monopolist in foreign trade and one of the first privatized companies in “New” Poland. By checking the company's documents, Falzmann discovered a leak from Poland with a huge amount of foreign currencies using a complicated transaction system and intermediaries. The main “hero” of this practice was FOZZ.
Falzmann shared his observations in an article that appeared in September 1990 in “Głos Free Robotnik”. It is true that he did not cause the expected storm in the public opinion, but the NIK was interested in the matter. In January 1991, the Chamber began control, involving Falzmann to work.
According to another version of events, information about the fund's abuse has already reached the Ministry of Finance thanks to the letter, which the president of Bank Handlowy Tadeusz Barłowski was to send to Leszek Balcerowicz. This is where the above -mentioned control from the ministry – the one that has no trace left.
See also: The gang of “golden -headed” was deceived by the authorities in the Polish People's Republic. The largest such scandal
What happened in FOZZ?
The turn of the 1980s and 90s in Poland was almost a dream moment for financial scams. During the period of political changes and the formation of a new economic reality in the country, the authorities turned a blind eye, documents died, and the investigations were pending for years. It was at this time that the Foreign Debt Service Fund was established. The institution established in 1989 by the Sejm of the Polish People's Republic of the 9th term was theoretically to help repay the Polish debt, which at that time already reached the amount of nearly $ 42.3 billion. She was to accumulate funds for this purpose and manage them. In practice – its activities led to the largest embezzlement of public funds in the Third Polish Republic, estimated at PLN 334 million (new).
Considered one of the largest scandals of the Third Polish Republic (and even the “mother of all scandals”) the storm around FOZZ unleashed in the same year in which the fund was created. From the beginning, the institution operated “unconventional”, and in fact unlawfully. Its main task – in a nutshell – was to buy on the secondary market of foreign debts of the Polish People's Republic at significantly reduced prices. The creditors agreed to the loss of a large part of the debt due to them in exchange for quickly recovering at least a small part of it. The purchase of debts took place through “substituted” companies, which was unlawful. That is why FOZZ acted in secret, without financial plans and reports – until the Supreme Audit Office began to x -ray it.
FOZZ trial, hearing a witness (2003)
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Robert Kowalewski / Agencja Gazeta
NIK control and mysterious deaths
Already at the beginning of controlling FOZZ as part of the NIK investigation, Michał Falzmann – according to sources – began to feel insecure. Apparently, he wrote in his notes: “I think I should pronounce this job. Further dealing with the subject is a personal deadly danger. I don't see any chances for success” – writes mycompanypolska.pl. Years later, his daughter Zuzanna Falzmann was to say in an interview with Polish Radio: “I remember the threats that parents received, mainly dad. However, threats also concerned us – his children. There were moments when we did not go to school, because the situation was so dangerous and it was not known what would happen. Often, when we returned home, all plugs were cut off – from telephone, from telephone, from telephone, from the telephone, from telephone, from telephone. accidentally “.
See also: Scandal 100 seconds. “He made a mistake” by three zero and shook the stock exchange in Warsaw
In July 1991, Falzmann was unexpectedly removed from control activities at FOZZ. Two days after receiving this command, he was hospitalized and soon died. Officially, the reason was a heart attack, although his wife was to tell in the press about suspicious circumstances and that she was pressed to abandon the autopsy.
Even three months have passed since the death of Falzmann, when another tragic incident occurred, which so far raises interest and doubts about his randomness. In the car accident, the then president of NIK Walerian Pańko died. It happened two days before how he was to present to the Sejm current materials about the Fund's scams. Government Lancia on the E75 route near Słostowice as a result of a collision fell into two parts. The driver was officially attributed to the driver. In addition to Pańka, Janusz Zaporowski, director of the Information Bureau of the Sejm, who was driving with him in the back seat.
Walerian Pańko
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Tomasz Wierzejski / Agencja Gazeta
There were many unknowns in the case, and Walerian's wife was supposed to talk about letters in the media about letters that her husband received before the accident. He also allegedly had depressive states and felt intimidated, like Falzmann.
Within two years of the tragic accident of Waldemar Pańka, two policemen died, who were the first to reach the accident site in Słostowice. The cause of their death was to be officially drowning, apparently they were “on fish” at the time. The last victim of “Curse of FOZZ” was the direct head of Michał Falzmann, Anatol Lawina. In 2006 he was fatally beaten by unknown perpetrators.
Complicated investigation and long process
Meanwhile, the investigation into the FOZZ scandal was still underway, which has struck for many years. It wasn't until January 1998 that the indictment was sent to the court (the first indictment in 1993 was returned to the prosecutor's office by the court). Several people related to the fund, including the General Director of FOZZ Grzegorz Żemka and his deputy Janina Chim, were accused of “appropriation”.
The case of FOZZ has gained the opinion of the most complex economic investigation of the Third Polish Republic. For seven years, investigators analyzed several thousand banking operations. They had to go abroad several times, use the legal assistance of seven countries. Several hundred witnesses were questioned. Court files reportedly had 230 volumes, in total over 40,000 pages. Well -known judges participated in the lawsuit, including Barbara Piwnik or Andrzej Kryże.
The process in connection with the FOZZ scandal. Judge Barbara Piwnik
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Sławomir Kamiński / Agencja Gazeta
The first instance sentences were only passed in 2005, the later appeal changed them to a small extent, and the cassation was dismissed. People involved in the case were sentenced to prison and fines. Grzegorz Żemek (nine years in prison) and Janina Chim (six years in prison) received the greatest sentences.
During the investigation and long after the judgments were passed, there were allegations that some political parties were co -financed from FOZZ money. The financing of special services of the Polish People's Republic was also to be an additional secret role of FOZZ. However, these speculations have never been officially confirmed.
Source: Mycompanypolska.pl, Tokfm.pl, Nik.gov.pl, pl.wikipedia.org
