False diplomas - further CBA detentions
Officers of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau detained three women from a university in Odesa who wanted to obtain documents confirming the graduation of more than 60 people from the Collegium Humanum in exchange for a financial benefit. The investigation in this case is being conducted by CBA officers under the supervision of the Silesian Branch of the Department for Organised Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor’s Office in Katowice.
On 29 October 2024 in Warsaw, CBA officers detained three women academics from the University of Odesa. The women came to Poland because they could not contact Paweł Cz., the former rector of the Collegium Humanum. They turned up at the headquarters of the university, which is now called the University of Business and Applied Sciences Varsovia.
They induced the new university authorities to issue false documents, including university diplomas and certificates of completion of studies, in exchange for a financial benefit of USD 40,000 in cash. According to the findings, the documents involved were for more than 60 ‘foreign students’ who had never studied at the Collegium Humanum. In the course of the proceedings, officers secured electronic data carriers and currency brought to Poland.
According to the findings of the investigation, the detained female academic teachers were involved in an organised criminal group established and led by Paweł Cz. The group’s criminal activities involved the issuing of bachelor’s degrees, second-cycle studies, unified master’s degrees and prestigious MBA diplomas in exchange for financial and personal benefits.
Applied Preventive Measures
The Prosecutor has charged the detained women with participation in an organised criminal group, whose activities consisted in issuing false documents related to the study of various degrees at the non-public university Collegium Humanum (Article 258 §1 of the Penal Code) and inducing the commission of a prohibited offence (Article 18 § 2 of the Penal Code) by the current management of the university in connection with Article 228 § 3 of the Penal Code and Article 271 § 3 of the Penal Code in connection with Article 11 § 2 of the Penal Code.
The public prosecutor applied preventive measures against each of the suspects, i.e. a property surety in the amount of PLN 150,000, a ban on leaving the country combined with the confiscation of their passports until the property surety is paid.
Ongoing Case
This is the seventh procedural implementation by officers of the CBA Regional Office in Rzeszów in the investigation concerning Collegium Humanum. Further implementations are planned within the case.
CBA Press Team
