200 allegations: fictitious EU certificates and bribes
The CBA Regional Office in Bialystok, under the supervision of the District Prosecutor's Office in Poznań, is conducting an investigation regarding the acceptance of financial benefits by the head of the Certification Team of Fertilizers and Chemical Products of the Polish Center for Research and Certification S.A. Branch in Piła, as well as irregularities in issuing by the Polish Center for Research and Certification S.A. Pila Branch of certificates not in accordance with the applicable law.
The prosecutor's office has just presented to former director of the Piła Branch of PCBiC 89 accusations of extortion of the attestation of untruth in connection with irregularities in the certification procedure.
In the case, 213 allegations have already been put forward regarding, among others, accepting and giving bribes to four people.
Earlier, at the end of 2015, agents of the CBA Regional Office in Białystok detained immediately after the acceptance of a financial gain of 15 thousand PLN - the manager of the Certification Team for Fertilizers and Chemical Products of the Polish Center for Research and Certification S.A. Branch in Piła, as well as two businessmen dealing in the trade in fertilizers. In the investigation, it was established that the detained manager received financial benefits many times before - in total not less than 180,000 zł.
Polish Center for Research and Certification S.A. is a sole-shareholder company of the State Treasury, entered into the list of companies of special importance for the state economy. The Center evaluates the compatibility of fertilizers coming from outside the European Union with EU requirements. A certificate of conformity is attached to each customs declaration, which ensures free circulation of the fertilizer within the Community.
In the course of the investigation the CBA secured, among others, documentation of about 200 certification proceedings.
According to the findings of the CBA agents, there is a suspicion of importing artificial fertilizers from outside the European Union that do not meet EU requirements and marketing them on the basis of quality certificates issued in breach of applicable law.
Part of the certificates of compliance, "EC fertilizer" as well as certificates of resistance to detonation of 34% ammonium nitrate fertilizer, were issued before the laboratory tests were carried out. The findings of the CBA show, that there were situations when no certification proceedings were carried out completely.
The case is ongoing, further charges cannot be ruled out.