Demand for benefits from fishermen in exchange for mediation in the case
Central Anti-Corruption Bureau officers detained a representative of the Inter-Enterprise Commission of NSZZ “Solidarity” of Baltic Sea Workers. The investigation concerns allegations of influence among individuals holding the highest state offices and also granting of subsidies to shipowners in connection with the closure of fishing in the Baltic Sea.
On September 30, 2025, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, officers from the Regional Office of the CBA in Gdańsk detained a man suspected of committing the crime of influence peddling. The investigation was carried out at the request of the prosecutor from the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Gdańsk. Officers seized documentation, digital media, and cell phones.
Invoking influence
Officers from the Regional Office of the CBA in Gdańsk are conducting an investigation, under the supervision of the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Gdańsk, into a suspected crime of demanding significant financial gain in exchange for influence peddling.
The investigation's findings indicate that a representative of the NSZZ Solidarność of Baltic Sea Workers' Trade Union allegedly invoked influence within state institutions, including the Chancellery of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Infrastructure, as well as the National Board of NSZZ Solidarność.
Fictitious Negotiations
During a meeting of the Inter-Enterprise Commission of NSZZ “Solidarity” of Baltic Sea Workers, a man allegedly demanded a financial benefit of PLN 2 million from representatives of recreational fishermen's associations. In return, he was to take steps to secure the adoption of a favorable law providing for compensation to recreational fishermen due to the ban on cod fishing in the Baltic Sea imposed on them by European Union bodies.
As determined, the suspect allegedly assured them of the negotiations and discussions with representatives of these institutions and led meeting participants to believe that he had the ability to secure the passage of a law allowing for the payment of compensation to recreational fishermen.
Ultimately, the man did not receive the PLN 2 million. The compensation law was also not passed.
The charge of paid protection
The detained man was brought to the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Gdańsk. The prosecutor charged him with trading in influence. For the alleged offense, he faces a penalty of imprisonment ranging from 6 months to 8 years, and, due to acting with the intent of obtaining financial gain, also a fine. The prosecutor imposed non-custodial preventive measures on the suspect, including police supervision, a ban on contacting identified witnesses, and bail.
The investigation is ongoing
This is the second procedural action in the case. In March 2025, CBA officers secured documents and electronic data carriers from the Gdańsk Regional Board of the NSZZ "Solidarity" Trade Union, as well as from the Inter-Enterprise Commission of the NSZZ "Solidarity" Baltic Sea Workers, based in Reda.
CBA Press Team
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CBA
