Polish ex deputy PM probed over gas contract with Russia: report

The weekly said that Warsaw prosecutors are investigating whether Pawlak, who is also a former prime minister, and other public officials "overstepped their powers and failed to carry out their duties in 2010”.

Sieci prawdy said the probe was linked to “the negotiation and signing of an international agreement on the delivery of Russian gas to Poland that was unfavourable to Poland and contrary to European Union law.”

The weekly said that Pawlak "took care of Russian interests better than the Russians themselves".

Its report came in a hard-hitting article headlined “Moscow’s man in Warsaw”.

Pawlak, once the head of the rural-based Polish People’s Party (PSL), was a deputy prime minister in Poland’s former coalition government led by the Civic Platform (PO) party under Donald Tusk, who is now European Council President.

In September, Poland’s Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said Poland aimed to stop importing natural gas from Russia after 2022.

The country wants to become completely independent of Russian gas supplies so as not to be vulnerable to potential “political action” by Moscow, Waszczykowski told reporters at the time. He also said that Poland wanted to have “the possibility of importing natural gas from other, politically safe, directions."

In late May, Polish officials announced plans to gradually replace gas supplies from Russia with imports from northern Europe.

(pk)

Source: Sieci prawdy