CENTRAL ANTI-CORRUPTION BUREAU always in the interest of Poland 5 persons detained in connection with extortion of financial shield support - News

The Regional Office of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau in Warsaw has been carrying out proceedings, in cooperation with the Mazovian Customs and Tax Office in Warsaw, concerning suspected extortion of subsidies from the Polish Development Fund by a number of entities. The investigation was instituted based on the notification of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau and the National Tax Administration.

Evidence gathered in the case indicates that in 2020, a number of Mazovian and Silesian companies operating in the service sector, based on documentation which certified untruth, extorted nearly PLN 3 million in subsidies from the Polish Development Fund. The investigators' findings indicate that in the course of their business activities they issued unreliable documentation which made it possible to obtain subsidies from the Polish Development Fund S.A. from the so-called financial shield.

Based on the evidence gathered in the case, in the last few days, cooperating services have detained five entrepreneurs. The activities were conducted in Warsaw, Szczecin, Zawiercie, Olsztyn and Bielsko-Biała.

Two of the apprehended persons were charged with disadvantageous disposal of the Polish Development Fund JSC property and attempting to conceal the criminal origin of the funds obtained in that way. Three other persons were charged with issuing and using unreliable invoices.

In the course of the operation, 20 premises, which could be related to the activities of the business entities, were also searched. The court imposed a temporary arrest for three months on two detainees and the prosecutor applied non-custodial preventive measures, including property surety.

Moreover, the prosecutor issued a decision on securing property in the amount of PLN 2.9 million.

Public Relations Division of the CBA