New Private Universities Under CBA Scrutiny
Officers of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) have detained five individuals in the Wielkopolskie, Podkarpackie, and Mazowieckie provinces, including former rectors of private universities. The actions are part of a multi-faceted investigation into irregularities at higher education institutions. The operation was carried out at the request of the Silesian Branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor’s Office in Katowice.
On May 12, 2025, officers from the Regional Offices of the CBA in Rzeszów, Białystok, Poznań, Łódź, Warsaw, and Lublin, together with the Border Guard and in cooperation with the Military Counterintelligence Service, detained four men and one woman. Among the detainees are former rectors of the “Pedagogium” University of Social Sciences in Warsaw and the Higher School of Management in Legnica, the owner of a private adult high school in Warsaw, as well as two academic staff members. Officers searched 13 locations, including the detainees’ residences and the headquarters of private universities in cities such as Warsaw, Stalowa Wola, and Wołomin. A total of 45 CBA and Border Guard officers took part in the operations across the Mazowieckie, Wielkopolskie, and Podkarpackie provinces. Extensive documentation, data storage devices, and cash were secured. The operation was carried out on the order of the Silesian Branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor’s Office in Katowice.
Detention of Former Rectors
During the investigation, it was established that the detainees, acting with prior intent and for financial gain, conspired with other identified individuals to participate in a criminal scheme involving the issuance of fraudulent documents confirming the completion of first- and second-cycle studies, bachelor’s and master’s thesis defenses, examination board protocols, and postgraduate studies at Collegium Humanum. This includes MBA diplomas that qualified individuals to sit on supervisory boards of companies with State Treasury involvement.
In exchange for financial benefits ranging from PLN 5,000 to PLN 30,000, fictitious diplomas and certificates were issued to students and graduates of these institutions. The collected evidence also indicates that documentation related to studies at the Higher School of Management in Legnica was forged for over 1,000 Ukrainian students.
Charges of Participation in an Organized Criminal Group
The detainees were brought to the Silesian Branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor’s Office in Katowice.
The prosecutor filed a total of 30 charges against them, including participation in an organized criminal group engaged in issuing fraudulent documents and accepting financial and personal benefits in return for such documentation, including MBA diplomas qualifying individuals to serve on supervisory boards of companies with State Treasury participation.
The suspects were interrogated. The prosecutor submitted motions to the court requesting pre-trial detention for three of them.
For one suspect, the prosecutor applied preventive measures including bail of PLN 200,000, police supervision, a ban on contacting identified individuals, a ban on leaving the country combined with passport confiscation, and a prohibition on working as a teacher.
Ongoing Investigation
These actions are part of a multi-threaded investigation initiated following a notification submitted by the Head of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau. The case continues to explore additional aspects of criminal activity that may harm the public interest. To date, 68 individuals have been charged with a total of 369 counts in this investigation.
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