Daniel Obajtek testified on Tuesday before the District Court in Łódź as a witness in a civil case brought by Orlen against the company's former vice-president Michał Rog. Obajtek is also a defendant in a parallel trial pending before the court in Łódź.
Daniel Obajtek is one of the witnesses questioned by the District Court in Łódź on Tuesday in a case brought by Orlen, which questions expenses from the business card of former vice-president of Orlen, Michał Rog, in the amount of over PLN 600,000. zloty.
When asked about expenses on business credit cards, Obajtek said that “business culture is such that meetings take place with restaurants, and an invitation from the contractor requires reciprocity, so when we were invited, for example to a cigar lounge, we also did so to reciprocate.“.
He added that all expenses from the management's credit cards were monitored by the Corporate Services Center and if it settled the expenses, it concluded that the expenses were incurred in accordance with the regulations. According to Obajtek, Orlen's supervisory board was also fully aware of the expenses.
He noted that there was no practice of accurately describing invoices for business meetings with the names of their participants for several reasons. As he testified, it would be troublesome and inelegant to make an attendance list after a meeting, for example with a sheikh. Moreover, such meetings, Obajtek noted, are a company secret because they may cause repercussions on the stock exchange.
The date and description were given as a business meeting. It was never written down by person or who we met. Because business likes silence, he said.
Obajtek testified that each board member had a company credit card, but its use depended on their role.
– The most important matters rested with two members of the management board, and Michał Róg managed the most difficult part of the company. He often held meetings abroad. The structure of these meetings and the business culture required expenses on his part, Obajtek said.
He added that running a business means that meetings are often held in restaurants and invitations are reciprocated.
When we were invited to the box during Formula I, we had to reciprocate, said Obajtek. He admitted that he had not personally attended the above-mentioned meetings at the cigar lounge, but he knew from the directors that they were held, and he had seen and accepted the invoices.
When asked about restaurant bills, including: for over 10 thousand at a time PLN, Obajtek replied that when a large meeting is organized, it is difficult for the host to tell the contractors not to order expensive dishes from the menu. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate in advance how much such a meeting will cost.
– This results from the business culture and these were not pleasures, but responsibilities – he said.
Finally, Daniel Obajtek made a statement that vice-president Michał Róg ran the company in an exemplary manner, and that Orlen expanded its operations and entered into many alliances at that time.
– The credit card was used to develop the company and these were not private meetings. I was very careful about it. I'm sorry that a man who worked so hard for the company is now sitting in court as a defendant – he pointed out.
After giving his testimony, Daniel Obajtek referred to the lawsuit questioning his and the former vice-president of Orlen's credit card expenses. Commenting on the lawsuit, he said that a credit card is nothing more than an aid in running a business.
– If someone invites you for business purposes or wants to talk to you, you also have to invite him and cover the costs. Do you have to pay from your own paycheck? No, you pay with a company card. This is normal in business, he said.
He added that such customs had been prevalent in Orlen for 30 years, and the management board he led “can be said to be one of the most frugal.”
– All expenses were in accordance with corporate standards, and the medical services questioned by the plaintiff (Orlen) paid for with company cards were included in the contract of the management board members – said Obajtek.
He added that the amounts guaranteed in the contracts were approximately PLN 10,000. PLN net per year, which – as he pointed out – “they have the same thing in the contracts negotiated before the supervisory board.”
– This is nothing more than a political stunt made by the Orlen management board. I would prefer these people to focus on what decisions they make, said Obajtek. He added that “the times will come when we will reveal all the amounts that are spent and you will have to account for them, because I believe that these are things that are an abuse of the law, an abuse of the interpretation of the law.”
Orlen sued former management board members Daniel Obajtek and Michał Rog in December 2024. It is demanding a refund of PLN 160,000. PLN from Daniel Obajtek and over 600 thousand. PLN from Michał Rog, which, according to the company, was intended for private purposes, e.g. for visits to hotels and restaurants. Both trials are ongoing in parallel before the District Court in Łódź. (PAP)
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