CENTRAL ANTI-CORRUPTION BUREAU Another thread in the Collegium Humanum Case - News

On 29 September 2026, officers of the Regional Office of the CBA in Rzeszów and officers of the Silesian Border Guard Unit carried out operations in several provinces, resulting in the arrest of 11 people. The actions were carried out in cooperation between the CBA, the Border Guard and the General Inspector of Financial Information as part of the ongoing multi-threaded investigation into irregularities at non-public higher education institutions.

Trading in Diplomas and Falsifying Academic Records

The investigation has established that organized criminal groups operate in Poland, issuing documents certifying the completion of higher education that contain false information. The scheme was based on transferring fictitious academic achievements between universities. The mechanism involved the sale of fabricated academic records and the creation of an appearance of academic achievements.

The suspects, operating, among other things, through informal branches and local units of universities, recruited people interested in obtaining a diploma quickly in exchange for financial benefits. Documentation was created for them suggesting that they had completed most of their academic programme at another university. As part of the organized criminal group, the universities identified in the investigation also issued certificates confirming student status. These documents were used to legalize the stay of foreign nationals, including citizens of the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, India and China.

A Known Scheme

Among those arrested by CBA officers are individuals linked to private higher education institutions. The investigation has established that these individuals held, or currently hold, senior academic positions, and two of them managed a foreign branch of Collegium Humanum.

The scheme identified in the investigation was similar to the mechanism known from the Collegium Humanum scandal. It involved issuing diplomas and certificates confirming the course of study in exchange for payment, without the need to actually attend classes, take examinations or prepare diploma theses. According to the findings, the process differed only in that applicants had to wait longer to receive the completed documents. The total value of financial benefits obtained for issuing fictitious diplomas exceeds PLN 850,000.

Fictitious Employment and Legalization of Foreign Nationals’ Stay

The investigation has also established that, since 2017, the organized criminal group had been illegally facilitating the stay of third-country nationals in the territory of the Republic of Poland. False documents, including fictitious declarations of intent to entrust work and certificates confirming attendance at studies, were issued to enable the legalization of their stay.

The scheme may have involved at least 200 foreign nationals, including citizens of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The total value of financial benefits obtained in connection with enabling and facilitating the stay of foreign nationals in Poland exceeds PLN 22.5 million. As part of this investigation thread, officers of the Silesian Border Guard Unit arrested five people.

Charges and Preventive Measures

The arrested individuals were brought before the National Prosecutor’s Office in Katowice, where they were charged with participation in an organized criminal group, certifying false information in documents, facilitating the stay of foreign nationals in violation of the law, and money laundering.

With respect to five suspects, the prosecutor applied non-custodial preventive measures, including bail ranging from PLN 10,000 to PLN 30,000, police supervision, a prohibition on contacting persons specified in the relevant decision, a travel ban combined with the retention of their passports, as well as a prohibition on participating — as a member, chairperson, examiner, secretary or in any other capacity — in the work of any examination boards.

With respect to six suspects, the prosecutor applied to the court for custodial preventive measures, namely pre-trial detention.

A Multi-Threaded Investigation

The activities are being carried out as part of a multi-threaded investigation initiated following a notification submitted by the Head of the CBA. The investigation also covers other threads concerning criminal activity to the detriment of the public interest. To date, 881 charges have been brought against 97 individuals in the course of the investigation. Further procedural operations are planned.

CBA Press Team