More arrests related to fictitious donations
Officers of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau have detained four individuals in connection with an investigation into fictitious donations for religious purposes. The preparatory proceedings are supervised by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Siedlce.
On 14 and 16 October 2025, officers of the Regional Office of the CBA in Łódź detained four men, including a director of a French cosmetics company and the president of a state-owned company. These are the next individuals suspected of making fictitious donations to a parish located in the Mińsk district. The operations were carried out in the Mazowieckie and Łódzkie provinces.
Millions in donations for parishes
Officers of the Regional Office of the CBA in Łódź, under the supervision of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Siedlce, are conducting preparatory proceedings concerning the submission of false information in tax declarations by both individuals and legal entities between 2016 and 2024.
The detainees made fictitious donations for religious purposes every year by transferring significant amounts of money to the account of a parish located in the Mińsk district. These donations were fictitious, as after each transfer the parish priest returned approximately 90% of the donated amount in cash to the dishonest donors. The clergyman, by issuing relevant documents, confirmed the receipt of fictitious donations for religious purposes. This scheme allowed the donors to reduce their income tax liabilities or obtain tax refunds.
So far, it has been established that the total amount transferred as “donations” reached approximately PLN 12 million.
The resulting losses to the State Treasury have been estimated at over PLN 3 million.
Charges and preventive measures
The detainees were brought to the District Prosecutor’s Office in Siedlce, where they were charged, among others, under Article 286 of the Polish Penal Code.
Preventive measures were applied against the suspects, including police supervision, bail, and a ban on contacting other persons involved.
The investigation is ongoing
This is the second investigation in the case. So far, 16 individuals have been detained and a total of 143 charges have been brought. Five suspects, including the parish priest, remain in temporary detention.
During the preparatory proceedings, numerous assets belonging to the suspects have been secured, amounting in total to PLN 1.6 million.
Further procedural actions are planned.
CBA Press Team
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CBA
