10 directors of the court detained by the CBA
This is another episode of the investigation into corruption, money laundering and organized crime group acting in and around the Court of Appeal in Cracow.
The CBA agents from Rzeszów detained this morning 10 current and former directors of courts of the Cracow and Wroclaw appeals. Actions are ongoing.
The CBA agents searched the suspects' places of residence to secure evidence and seize assets to determine security on property.
Detainees will be transferred to the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Rzeszow, where they will hear charges.
In total, the list of detainees on corruption in the Court of Appeal in Krakow has increased to 26 people. Among the detainees caught earlier by the CBA are: former President of the Court, Director of the Court, Director of the Purchasing Center, chief accountants and specialists, former deputy director of the ministry of justice and businessmen. The losses caused by the organized criminal group acting at the Court of Appeal in Cracow by extortions for fictitious services can reach over 35 million PLN.
Around the court was created a network of many companies linked by capital, family and socially, carrying out fictitious contracts for the provision of consulting services, analyzes and studies. These contracts were not implemented and the money, millions of zlotys were paid. As part of the illegally obtained cash, businessmen shared with the Court employees, they corrupted them. This was to ensure the discretion and further favor of the officials. The CBA does not rule out further detentions of persons involved in an organized crime group, in the misappropriation of public money, the acceptance and giving of financial benefits and laundering of money.
The findings of investigators from the CBA and the prosecutors point out, that in the Court of Appeal in Cracow since 2011 came to appropriation of assets of great value. Around the court was created a network of several dozen companies linked by capital, family and socially with the Director of the Court and the Director of the Purchase Centre for Judiciary, carrying out fictitious contracts for the provision of consulting services, analyzes, studies and training courses.
These companies, in turn - corrupted, by giving fictitious orders to the employees of the Court of Appeal in Cracow, which was supposed to ensure discretion and favor on subsequent orders. In fact, these contracts were not implemented, paid analyzes and studies were not created and they were only to justify the payment of money.
So far 16 suspects have been presented with charges of appropriation of nearly 21 million PLN to the detriment of the Court of Appeal in Cracow. Of the 16 suspects - 8 are temporarily arrested. In the investigation the security on property was made with a total estimated value of approximately 9 million PLN.
The first detentions in this investigation took place in mid-December last year. The CBA detained then 5 suspects: the Director and Chief Accountant of the Court of Appeal in Cracow, the Director of the Purchasing Center for Judiciary and two businessmen, whose companies were supposed to perform fictitious services for the Court of Appeal in Cracow.
In February this year, more people were detained for corruption in the Court of Appeal in Cracow, this time it was two businessmen - IT professionals. For the fictitious jobs for IT and consulting work they were well rewarded. In March this year, the CBA agents from Rzeszów detained Jarosław B. - an entrepreneur from Mazowieckie Voivodeship operating in the consulting and training organization sector. During the investigation, it was found, that he was receiving fictitious orders for which the Director of the Court of Appeal in Cracow Andrzej P. and his staff, including Chief Accountant Marta K., paid the money. The orders were not executed and the invoices certified an untruth. A part of the illegally obtained cash was shared by the businessman with the employees of the Court.
At the end of May this year the CBA officers caught: deputy director, head of the IT department, the main public procurement specialist, acting deputy chief accountant and IT specialist. Detainees in the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Rzeszow have faced charges of corruption, among others, participation in an organized criminal group established and managed by the director of the Court of Appeal in Cracow.
On 9th June this year, the CBA officers from Rzeszów detained Krzysztof S., former president of the Court of Appeal in Cracow. District Court for Warsaw - Mokotów District has accepted the request of the Prosecutor of the Internal Affairs Division of the National Prosecutor's Office and has temporarily arrested Krzysztof S. The judge is suspected of involvement from February 2013 to September 2016 in an organized criminal group, headed by another suspect in this case Andrzej P. - the Director of the Court of Appeal in Cracow. The prosecutor also accused Krzysztof S. of not fulfilling the duties of the President of the Court of Appeal in Cracow, accepting substantial financial benefits in the amount of not less than 376 thousand PLN, money laundering and certifying untruth.
The CBA does not rule out further detentions of persons involved in organized crime group, the misappropriation of public money, the acceptance and giving of financial benefits and money laundering.
