Polish Ministry of Digital Affairs finds itself at the center of a burgeoning scandal following revelations that directly contradict its prior statements regarding the employment of Maria Thun, daughter of MEP Róża Thun. A leaked email sent to the employees of the Central Information Technology Center (CIOT), which operates under the Ministry’s jurisdiction, has cast doubt on the Ministry’s integrity and transparency in this matter.
Initially, the Ministry firmly denied any involvement or employment of Maria Thun within its department or at the CIOT, a stance that seemed to close the chapter on the allegations of her hiring. This assertion was part of a broader response to mitigate the fallout from a publication by Onet, which wrote that Thun was entitled to a severance pay of 250,000 PLN for a single day of work. Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, addressing the issue last Friday, referenced the Ministry’s earlier communication to reiterate the denial.
However, the narrative took an unexpected turn when the content of an email, dated January 17 and sent to CIOT employees, was brought to light by Interia’s investigative journalists. The communication announced the appointments of both Maria Thun and Sebastian Wilk as deputy directors of the CIOT. It specifically highlighted Thun’s responsibility for the digital services sector, thereby unequivocally confirming her employment within the digital infrastructure overseen by the Ministry.
This revelation arrives on the heels of initial reports by “Gazeta Wyborcza” last week, which first brought attention to Maria Thun’s employment at the CIOT. The report suggested that her hiring had led to tensions within the governing coalition, prompting intervention from Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister. Tusk reportedly instructed Gawkowski to terminate Thun’s employment, a move that has since stirred discontent within the Polska 2050 party.