LAW, JUSTICE, MONEY

A GOOD CLIMATE FOR MONEY

A thousand-people party convention, pretending to be a climate conference – all paid for with EU money.

Invoices for hundreds of thousands PLN were issued by the party’s friends. It’s an international scandal, and all threads lead to Zbigniew Ziobro, Jacek Kurski, and their party’s treasurer

Denmark, 2016. In the suburbs of Copenhagen, two journalists ring a doorbell. A man opens the door.

„Sir, did you take part in the MELD workshop? We saw your name on the list of participants.”

„Never heard of it.”

This was the first scene of what turned out to be one of Denmark’s biggest political scandals. What was it all about? Scams in the Danish People’s Party, the second most influential political group in Denmark. Some Members of who belong to the Danish party are also members of the European party called MELD (Movement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy). The journalists discovered that MELD – funded by the European Parliament – received funds for EU- related projects. MELD supposedly spent the money on symposiums and workshops, but they never actually took place. Hundreds of thousands of euros were defrauded and used to fuel the Danish People’s Party’s campaign instead - claims Peter Jeppesen, the journalist who wrote about MELD’s financial frauds.

OLAF, an European anti-fraud office, has initiated an investigation. Newsweek discovered that some Polish politicians also played a role in the scandal. For a few years, the Brussels fraction of MELD was led by Jacek Włosowicz and Jacek Kurski. Włosowicz – today a (PiS) party senator –- back then was a treasurer of Solidarna Polska (Solidary ), a minor right-wing political party. Włosowicz was also the right-hand man of Solidarna Polska’s leader, Zbigniew Ziobro – a prominent Polish politician who currently serves as Poland’s Minister of Justice. Jacek Kurski, also a right-wing politician, is now the president of the Polish public broadcaster TVP. Thanks to Włosowicz and Kurski, MELD funds were transferred to their friends in Poland, who would then send substantial donations to Ziobro’s party. Solidarna Polska is one of the ruling coalition parties in Poland, along with Law and Justice, and Poland Together.

A FILM THAT VANISHES We found a document confirming that MELD paid for a climate conference for 800 people to be organised in Poland. The document states a precise date and place: Cracow, 30th of June 2013. There’s just one problem: no climate conference took place in Cracow on that day. Instead, the largest room of Kijów cinema in Cracow served as a venue for the Solidarna Polska party convention, held under a slogan “A new state, a new constitution”. There were 1200 party sympathisers present, and the stars of the evening were Zbigniew Ziobro and Jacek Kurski. Next to them, guests of honour: Paweł Kukiz (a former musician, now minor right-wing party leader), and Piotr Duda, leader of the Solidarity Trade Union.

MELD funds were transferred to the party’s friends in Poland, who would then donate the money to Solidarna Polska

Who paid for the convention in Kijów cinema? Did the event have anything to do with climate or environment issues? We send our questions to the Solidarna Polska, to Jacek Kurski, to the Ministry of Justice and to Zbigniew Ziobro’s parliamentary office – to no avail. Then we ask Jacek Włosowicz, former MELD president, now PiS senator. He messages us back, saying that he will need a week to find all the documents.

While waiting for Włosowicz’s response, we go through Solidarna Polska’s bank statements, available at the National Election Commission. No trace of any payments for the venue in Cracow, sound systems or buses for the activists. As if it never happened.

We look for the convention programme and for the list of speakers. Perhaps some of them were invited to speak about climate? We find a photograph, showing a forest of party banners, flags and rollups. One of the banners says: „Stop the climate convention”. There’s a video from the convention on YouTube: it looks almost like an American rally, full of flags and banners, the highlight being Ziobro’s fiery speech about the new constitution.

We go to Kijów cinema in Cracow. „A party convention? Sorry, can’t remember”, the cinema employee smiles at us. „There were a lot of famous people. Paweł Kukiz, Piotr Duda”, we try to jog her memory. „Oh, that’s right, Kukiz! Now I remember. In the summer. Big event, there was catering.”

After our questions to Włosowicz and Ziobro, the film disappears from YouTube. So does all the evidence from the party’s website. There is still a link, saying „A new state, a new constitution - after the Solidarna Polska new programme convention”, but it’s empty inside.

All that’s left are archival photographs posted by three local divisions of Solidarna Polska on their websites. Next to the pictures there’s an announcement that reads: „We invite you to take part in the Solidarna Polska Convention. We will present a proposal of radical changes to the state, along with a project of the New Constitution … The convention will accommodate over 1000 guests and will take place on 30th of June 2013 in Cracow.”

POWER, BUT NOT FOR MERIT Newsweek got hold of an unpublished film from the event. There’s nothing to prove that the event is a climate conference. The front of the building is decorated with a large red banner with the event’s slogan: „A new state, a new constitution”. Solidarna Polska’s party flags are flown in front of the entrance. The posters in the windows are trying to tempt the voters, with promises: „Accelerated court procedures for the politicians”. A bus stops in front of the building – it’s full of party activists in formal attire. Then – refreshments in the foyer and scenes from the conference room: everyone singing the national anthem, propaganda slides on a LED display, party leaders delivering their speeches.

Zbigniew Ziobro: „We want power not for merit, and not for sinecures.” Jacek Kurski: „The state must open up to active citizenship. More power to referendums! (now Chief of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland; she enters the stage to the sound of Roxette’s song „Joyride”): „I’m very happy to see that everyone made it here safely, so we can all discuss the future of children in our country.” Patryk Jaki (now Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice): „Why the doctors need bribery to decide whether or not they should perform a surgery? Why did our doctors sell human organs for money?” Paweł Kukiz: „I’m delighted to be here knowing there’s another strong voice calling for single- mandate constituencies in Poland.”

The only person who mentions the climate package in the video is the leader of Solidarity Trade Union, Piotr Duda. However, after just two sentences he moves on to another issue – increasing the retirement age. The event is closed with everyone holding hands and dancing to „We Are The Champions”. In the background, there is a board with Solidarna Polska’s new constitution project: a presidential system, withdrawal of immunities, the Public Prosecutor General to be chosen in public elections. Not a word about climate.

After our questions to Włosowicz and Ziobro, the film disappears from YouTube. So does all the evidence from the party’s website.

THE PEN EMPIRE We do some fact checking. Solidarna Polska did organise one climate conference using MELD funds before. The event took place in Katowice in 2012. At the conference, Ziobro’s party announced that they will start an association named „Stop the climate package”. The association was never registered.

Interesting: three days after the convention in Kijów cinema, Ziobro shows up in Katowice again. He calls a press conference and announces that Jarosław Kaczyński and are responsible for the climate package. 30 people are listening.

Early November, 2016. Solidarna Polska’s treasurer once again asks us to wait for answers. We go through some more MELD documents: a list of invoices issued to MELD by the Polish companies in 2013 and 2014. They are mostly one-man businesses from the Lesser Poland (this is Ziobro’s territory) and Świętokrzyskie Province (that’s where the treasurer Jacek Włosowicz is in charge). Every single business is connected to Solidarna Polska’s politicians.

E-Komunikacja, a company from Cracow, charged € 11.500 for 10.000 pens. It also charged € 15.500 for organising the climate conference. Who placed those orders? Why a pen that’s worth a few cents in wholesale, would suddenly cost over one euro? What climate conference was organised by the company, and where did it take place? Unfortunately, E-Komunikacja doesn’t have a website and there’s no way to get in touch. We learn that it belongs to Mariusz Badura, a friend of Zbigniew Ziobro’s brother, Witold.

In 2012, Badura was the main character of a peculiar affair. A group of experts who prepared analyses regarding Solidarna Polska were not paid for their work. The research was commissioned by Jacek Kurski and Witold Ziobro. The experts signed their contracts with E-Komunikacja, not with Solidarna Polska. Badura insisted that he commissioned the research because he wanted to… sell it to Solidarna Polska. He explains that he didn’t pay the researchers because their work was below standards. We ask Badura about MELD orders. No answer. According to the documents, in 2013 Bandura’s company received regular payments from Ziobro’s party.

A company Studio 639 invoiced MELD for almost 46.000 euros. The company is a one-man business ran by Jerzy Kurzątkowski, Solidarna Polska’s photographer (he was Solidarna’s photographer during election campaigns, for example). Kurzątkowski is an acquaintance of the party’s treasurer, Jacek Włosowicz.

We make a trip to the company’s office, which is located in Nida village near . We find a slightly shabby, semi-detached house, painted yellow. We’re greeted by Kurzątkowski’s wife. „He’s at work, in ,” she explains. We look it up: Kurzątkowski was recently hired as a full-time photographer of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ SA). We make a call. „What was the bank transfer from MELD for? What did you do that cost almost 200.000 PLN?” we ask. „You know what, I really can’t remember. It was a few years ago. I have an advertising company, it could be publishing some books, or some gadgets like pendrives, in bulk. Something like that.” „Do you get a lot of orders like that one?” „No, and I’m closing that company down anyway.”

Kurzątkowski promises he will check what those giant transfers were for. Then he stops picking up his phone. He texts us that he received money in PLN, not in euros. What for? Books, pen drives, tote bags, t-shirts, „and some other stuff too, probably”. Does he have any proof that he actually produced those gadgets? „Well, I have no way of checking right now”.

In the year of the European elections Kurzątkowski – MELD funds beneficiary – transferred 20.000 and 25.000 PLN to Solidarna Polska’s account. Another MELD transfers beneficiary was a right-wing think tank from Cracow: the Kościuszko Institute. They invoiced MELD for €41.000. One of the founders of the Institute is Witold Ziobro. The Institute’s vice-president was Michał Krupiński – today head of the insurance group PZU. Witold Ziobro spends a lot of time in Krupiński’s office. We ask the Institute twice what they received MELD money for. After six days, we receive an e-mail saying that the scope of our questions is so wide it will be difficult to answer them. The Institute’s president is currently abroad, and the information Newsweek requested „are largely subject to contractual confidentiality clauses, financial privacy and personal data protection.” And another company connected to Solidarna Polska’s politicians: WER Studio, a small Cracow-based business. One order they received from MELD was for nearly 53.000 euros (60.000 pens), another – over 39.000 euros. That makes €92.000, which is nearly 400.000 PLN. „How much?! But that’s almost one euro per pen! During my campaigns I paid 0.60 PLN per item. Other companies would quote 0.80, maybe 1.00 PLN tops, but not four times that!” says former Solidarna Polska activist, baffled. We make a calculation: 120 boxes of pens from WER Studio, and 20 boxes from E-Komunikacja on top of that. Why would an international political party from Brussels order over a tonne of (grossly overpriced) pens from a minor printing company in the Lesser Poland? We knock on the door to WER Studio – it’s a flat in a tenement house in Podgórze, one of Cracow’s districts. The owner, Wacław Rosicki, meets us barefoot on the staircase. He quickly solves the mystery: Jacek Włosowicz, Solidarna Polska’s former MEP and the party’s treasurer, was his university friend. What was the other invoice for? Rosicki cannot remember.

„You can’t remember a transfer for almost 40.000 euros? Do you get many orders that large?” „I get some.” „Are you a member of Zbigniew Ziobro’s party, Solidarna Polska?” „No.” „Did you ever donate any money to Solidarna’s campaign?”

Before our visit, we looked through a list of people who donated money to Solidarna Polska in 2014. Rosicki transferred 15.000 PLN.

„I can’t remember,” smiles Rosicki. „And how much do you charge for one pen? Wholesale.” „Anything from a few cents to a few PLN. It depends whether it’s plastic or metal, screen-printed or engraved.” Rosicki says he will find the pen design and send it to us. He never does.

EXTRA CASH FROM MOTHER-IN-LAW November 2011. Jarosław Kaczyński stands in front of Law and Justice MPs, and amusedly mocks the Bolshevik propaganda, saying: „The vigilant safety authorities of the party and the heroic political committee have prevented a conspiracy, expelling a reptile Zbigniew Ziobro and two vile frogs, Jacek Kurski and Tadeusz Cymański, from our ranks.”

The removal of three MEPs gives birth to Solidarna Polska. The new party tries to court Kaczyński’s voters, but it has no structures. It tries to outdo Law and Justice’s expensive campaigns and conventions, but it doesn’t have the millions from the public purse, having to patch its budget with donations from the activists and their families. We go through a list of donors from years 2012-2014. There’s not many of them – all the names on several pages. But the party’s balance looks surprisingly well. In 2014, Solidarna Polska received an impressive total of 443.000 PLN in donations, and the party’s election fund swelled to over 2 million PLN. Even though the party has only about 5% popular support, the donors are remarkably generous. The transfers keep reaching tens of thousands PLN.

We take a closer look at those transfers.

Zbigniew Ziobro’s relatives donated 437.000 PLN within 2.5 years. His brother Witold transferred 107.000 PLN split into six transfers, their mother Krystyna – 110.000 split into 4 transfers, and Zbigniew’s wife Patrycja – 81.000 PLN. The fiercest supporters of Ziobro and his party are his in-laws, Wanda and Leszek Kotecki - they transferred 139.000 PLN. Where did Mr and Mrs Kotecki they get so much money from?

„Of course, my parents donated their own money. They’re not Palikot’s students,” assures Patrycja Kotecka-Ziobro. She’s referring to a scandal from seven years ago. Back then, the journalists discovered that Janusz Palikot (who was then a politician) was receiving donations for his campaign from unemployed students. The prosecutor’s office decided to discontinue the investigation.

The Cymański family donated over 115.000. Cymański’s wife Barbara transferred 44.000 PLN. Years ago, the MP described her as a “housewife” in his register of material profit. Their daughters Magdalena and Marta transferred 61.000 PLN. Henryk Cymański also chipped in – another 10.000 PLN.

„Yes, it’s all my family,” confirms the MEP. „Would it be possible that your daughters donated your money, not their own?” “I helped them before, now they helped me. It was a good time for us, so they wanted Solidarna Polska to succeed. Where did they get so much money from? No idea, maybe they took a loan?”

Cymański’s assistants also have their fingers crossed for his success. Adam Ilarz donates 71.000 PLN, and Damian Dziura sends 47.000 PLN together with his wife.

„I’m just really grateful. I would do the same for them,” claims Tadeusz Cymański.

„How could Adam Ilarz afford such donation?”

„I think he could afford it, he was the head of my office.”

„You paid him well?”

„Pretty well, pretty well. But always within the limits.”

42K FROM A STUDENT We find Jacek Kurski’s relatives on the list as well. In 2012-2014 his mother Anna donated 65.000 PLN to Solidarna (part of the money was transferred incorrectly and the party had to return it). Kurski’s son Antoni sent 15.000 PLN. The most generous of Kurski’s supporters is his daughter 20 year old Zuzanna. A week before the elections she makes three transfers, sending 42.000 PLN to Solidarna. How could a student make such money? Was it her own money or was it perhaps a gift she received from her MEP father? We ask Jacek Kurski, but our questions are met with silence. The MEP’s coworkers and friends also got his back. Kurski’s assistant Anna Połetek supported him with donations amounting to 35.000 PLN. The Pedrycz family Kurski is friends with – Jarosław, Olgierd and Malina - transferred roughly 75.000 PLN, 32.000 of which come from eighteen year old Malina (the party has to send one transfer back this time again, as it was wired incorrectly).

Jacek Włosowicz was supported by his septuagenarian parents who live modestly, in a block of flats in Kielce. They make two identical payments of 28.000 PLN (Solidarna had to return one of them). Ziobro’s party also benefitted from donations made by Włosowicz’s two assistants (120.000 pln in 2.5 years), an employee of the fraction in the European Parliament and his wife (140.000 PLN), and three-person family of an advisor to Solidarna’s MPs (196.000 PLN).

Is it possible that the politicians’ coworkers, friends and family were sending money that was not theirs? Jacek Włosowicz finally answers our questions. He assures that he never gave his parents any money for donations. Accepting illegal donations (that is – donations that were not reported to the Tax Office and nod appropriately taxed) is subject to a wide array of sanctions, from 20% penalty tax to imprisonment.

SEVEN SENTENCES ABOUT CLIMATE Those who had anything to do with MELD or with the conference in the Kijów cinema, fall silent after receiving questions from Newsweek. Jerzy Kurzątkowski was supposed to check how exactly he made over 200.000 PLN. So was Wacław Rosicki. They’re both silent. So are Jacek Kurski, Zbigniew Ziobro and Mariusz Badura. Six days later, we receive an e-mail from Jacek Włosowicz (the whole letter from MELD’s former leader is available at www.newsweek.pl). Today’s Law and Justice senator insists that he was „the only person responsible for organising and financing the conference in Cracow and other cities, as well as for cooperation with MELD”, and threatens us with a lawsuit.

Włosowicz admits that Solidarna Polska’s convention in the Kijów cinema was financed by MELD. The party meeting cost about 40.000 euros. Solidarna’s former treasurer insists that everything is fine, because MELD approved the title that defined the scope of the convention programme - „Reforming European Union - Reforming Poland”. Włosowicz also assures that MELD agreed to fund an event dedicated to the climate policy and to reforming EU and Poland. In his letter, Włosowicz points to seven incomplete sentences that were said during the convention that referred to climate. He sends us alleged proof that the conference was, in fact, focused on the climate all along: a photo of „climate-themed” rollup, along with two racks standing in the cinema hall. Any examples of the conference’s „climate theme”? Włosowicz quotes Beata Kempa, who said: „The day before yesterday some young people visited my office – they were young entrepreneurs. A company that employed almost two thousand people just went down. It happened because the production was transferred to Ukraine, where the energy is cheaper. That’s exactly how the Climate and Energy Package is working against us already.”

WHO’S LYING NOW? Włosowicz insists that the conference in Cracow was not funded with defrauded money. He sends us proof: and excerpt from Ernst & Young audit, which referred to finances of the whole MELD. Włosowicz assures that MELD had no doubts regarding the Cracow convention. He never says that during that time he was one of the MELD leaders. He also fails to mention that MELD finances are questioned by OLAF, an EU anti-fraud agency. Why would Zbigniew Ziobro’s Solidarna Polska invite participants for a meeting in Kijów cinema and describe it as the party convention? Włosowicz has an answer: „Words conference and convention were used interchangeably. The latter term was just a simplification … because the journalists focused on reporting proposed political changes that were presented by some politicians from Solidarna Polska. Those journalists would omit the broader context of the meeting, including the climate policy issues.” Now Włosowicz is putting the cart before the horse. Just before the meeting in Cracow, Patryk Jaki (Solidarna’s MP, today also Ziobro’s deputy in the Ministry of Justice) gave an interview to TVN24, the largest commercial TV station in Poland: „The convention … will be held in American style. A lot of videos and images, light effects and dynamic music. … It’s not enough to exchange Kaczyński for Tusk or Tusk for Kaczyński. Personal tug of war will change nothing. We need political change. Solidarna Polska has prepared a whole programme of proposed changes.” Not a word about climate.

Memory fails Włosowicz in key moments. What services did MELD commission WER Studio, Studio 639 and the Kościuszko Institute to provide? „I’m not competent to give precise answers to those questions,” he said.

What happened to tens of thousands of pens? They were given away to people. Is there any proof they existed at all? „I’ll try to send you a picture over the next few days.”

WE’VE HAD ENOUGH

The main suspect in the Danish MELD money-laundering scandal was Morten Messerschmidt, one of the Europarty’s former leaders. The Danish People’s Party politician is also known for coining a famous phrase: „We’ve had enough of Polish trucks leaving Denmark full of TV sets stolen from our summer houses.”

Messerschmidt has already resigned – he’s no longer a leader of the Danish populist party delegates in the EU Parliament. As a result of the investigation, he has to return hundreds of thousands of euros worth of laundered funds. According to OLAF agency, the investigation into siphoning funds from MELD will take over a year.

The article was written in cooperation with reporters from the Danish journal Ekstra Bladet.

Zbigniew Ziobro and his family

Witold Ziobro, brother

Patrycja Kotecka, wife

Leszek Kotecki, father-in-law

Wanda Kotecka, mother-in-law

Krystyna Ziobro, mother

Jacek Włosowicz, his family and friends

Jacek Włosowicz and his wife

Monika Włosowicz, wife

Jerzy Kurzątkowski, received money from MELD

Wacław Rosicki, received money from MELD

Władysław Włosowicz, father (aged 77)

Ludwika Włosowicz, mother (aged 72)

Jacek Kurski and his family

Anna Kurska, mother

Anna Kurska, mother (the party has returned some of the money)

Zuzanna Kurska, daughter

Zdjęcie

Morten Messerschmidt, a MEP for the Danish People’s Party. In the picture shown during the elections to the European Parliament, May 2014.