Krakow (Poland), January 18 (EFE). – Poland's former deputy foreign minister, Piotr Wawrzyk, who was involved in visa sales, has been arrested and is now on trial, authorities reported today.
The Coordinating Minister of Poland's Special and Intelligence Service, Tomasz Siemoniak, spoke in Parliament in Warsaw about the arrest of former deputy minister Piotr Wawrzyk last night, describing the case as “a very sensational scandal of large proportions.” and with multiple threads”.
The so-called visa scandal, for which Wawrzyk is considered to be primarily responsible, came to light during the term of office of the previous government and revealed a scheme for the sale of visas from the Polish embassies in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates. India, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Egypt and other countries.
According to the prosecutor's investigation, between February 2022 and May 2023, Wawrzyk made a profit in the majority of more than 300,000 cases of Schengen work visas sold for 3,000 to 6,000 euros with the participation of Polish embassies and consulates.
Since the first information about this scandal emerged in the middle of last year, the leadership of the then ruling Polish conservative party PiS has distanced itself from Wawrzyk and his actions.
The PiS, which represented an ultra-conservative and nationalist ideology, opposed Brussels' migration plans because it believed they would “produce fierce battles on the streets of Poland, equivalent to those of Paris.”
He held a national referendum asking: “Do you support the admission of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa in accordance with the forced relocation mechanism imposed by the European bureaucracy?”
In addition to Wawrzyk, nine other people were charged with involvement in the visa sales ring.
In messages posted online after his arrest at 10 p.m. Wednesday, Wawrzyk wrote that “the refusal to provide statements (on the case so far) was solely due to the enormous stress” he had suffered since he had to be hospitalized in the last few months. due to anxiety issues. EFE
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