There was a dentist, there is a prosecutor. There is an indictment, among others, against Obajtek

The Regional Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw submitted an indictment to the court against, among others, former president of Orlen, Daniel Obajtek, regarding Orlen's conclusion of contracts for detective services with the company indicated by him. According to the prosecutor's office, Obajtek abused his powers and caused damage to the company worth almost PLN 400,000. zloty.

Referring to the indictment against him, the former president of Orlen wrote, among other things: “An order was given: accuse Obajtek! And the order was carried out.” He added that the prosecutor's office's conduct would be verified by the court.

As announced on Monday by the press spokesman of the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, Prosecutor Mateusz Martyniuk, the indictment against the former president of Orlen, as well as Zbigniew L. – former Director of the Control and Security Office in Orlen, and Wojciech K. – conducting detective activities, was sent to the District Court for Warsaw-Śródmieście.

The case concerns the conclusion by Orlen of two contracts for detective services with a company indicated by Obajtek, which – according to the prosecutor's office findings – had previously provided services in the field of personal protection of Obajtek and his property.

The former president of Orlen was accused by the prosecutor's office of abusing his powers in the period from July to December 2021 regarding the proper management of the company's assets by taking advantage of his official dependence and ordering Zbigniew L. to conclude, without conducting a tender procedure, two contracts with Wojciech K., who runs detective activities.

“These contracts, for a total amount of PLN 393,600, concerned the provision of services consisting in the identification and documentation of unfair competition activities against Orlen SA, and in fact, as the prosecutor's office established, these contracts served to pursue the private interests of Daniel Obajtek and had no economic significance or connection with the physical or economic security of the company. Their actual purpose was to collect information on the assets and private life of parliamentary opposition politicians,” said prosecutor Martyniuk.

According to the prosecutor's office, Obajtek “by his actions caused material damage to Orlen SA in the total amount of PLN 393,600.” Such an act – it was added – is punishable by up to 5 years' imprisonment.

Zbigniew L. was accused by the prosecutor's office of “abuse of the powers granted” by approving the payment of remuneration to a provider of detective services to Orlen, “despite the fact that he knew that these services served to pursue the private interests of Daniel Obajtek” and were not performed in accordance with the content of the contracts.

The prosecutor's office accused Wojciech K. of concluding these contracts, although he was aware that they served “to implement the private interests of Daniel Obajtek, and his services consisted in collecting information on the assets and private life of parliamentary opposition politicians.”

The spokesman added that the indictment against Wojciech K. also concerns slander against MPs: Robert Kropiwnicki (KO), Marcin Kierwiński (KO) and Jan Grabiec (KO); MEP Andrzej Halicki (KO) and an employee of the Supreme Audit Office for conduct “that may expose them to the loss of trust needed to perform their functions.” This is about including in the reports for Orlen “false information that the indicated persons constitute an organized group responsible for the media campaign against the President of the Management Board of Orlen SA, financed from EU funds.”

In November this year when the charges were announced to him, the former president of Orlen emphasized, among other things, that the accusations against him were related to things that are “normal and used” by international companies around the world and in the European Parliament. Obajtek then stated that he did not follow the MPs and had “full right to take care of the company's interests.” – We had every right to know who was behind the attacks, which generally threatened to destabilize the company – Obajtek argued. He also stated that he had such evidence.

Referring to the indictment on Monday, Obajtek wrote on social media that “the right to defense as issued by the Prosecutor of the Regional Prosecutor's Office consists in completely blocking” his evidentiary initiative, “completely ignoring” the circumstances provided by him and “setting the date of final familiarization with the files of the proceedings, i.e. completion of the investigation”, on the day on which he was presented with the charges.” “An order was given: accuse Obajtek! And the order was carried out. In this situation, the prosecutor's conduct will be verified by the Prosecutor of the Regional Prosecutor's Office. Court,” Obajtek wrote on the X platform.

The application to waive Obajtek's immunity was submitted in December last year by the then Minister of Justice, Attorney General Adam Bodnar. The European Parliament agreed to hold Obajtek criminally liable in October this year. (PAP)

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