PiS (Law and Justice party) MP Zbigniew Kuźmiuk announced that his party will investigate whether Bank Pekao S.A., its subsidiaries, or its associated foundations were involved in financing a “hateful campaign.” The matter concerns the promotional spots titled “Your Vote Matters.” As Jan Dziedziczak added, “Citizens hold diverse views and have the right to expect that a company, maintained with their money deposited in a bank, upholds neutrality regarding elections.”
Politicians Seek Clarifications
PiS MPs Zbigniew Kuźmiuk and Jan Dziedziczak held a press conference on Tuesday in front of Bank Pekao S.A.’s headquarters. They spoke, among other topics, about a parliamentary audit related to the financing of the “Your Vote Matters” campaign.
“If it turns out that this company was involved in such hateful activities, taking sides on the political scene, we would be dealing with an unprecedented scandal,”
assessed Kuźmiuk.
“According to our information, unfortunately, this company — or its subsidiaries or foundations — was involved in financing this campaign, and we demand explanations from the company’s management board,”
Kuźmiuk added.
Dziedziczak emphasized that “this is also a matter of electoral equality and election security.”
“State Treasury companies should remain neutral during presidential and political elections. Polish citizens keep their money in these banks, including this specific bank. It was precisely for this reason that the Law and Justice government bought back this bank for the Polish state. Citizens hold various political views, and they have the right to expect that a company maintained with their funds will maintain neutrality with respect to elections. This is what we expect, and this is what we want to clarify,”
Dziedziczak stated.
Bank Denies Allegations
Bank Pekao’s spokesperson, Paweł Jurek, responded to the allegations made by PiS MPs. He denied that the company had any connection to the foundation “Your Vote Matters” or its president.
“Bank Pekao S.A., its subsidiaries, and the Bank Pekao S.A. Foundation did not transfer any funds to the foundation or to the individual identified in the MPs’ letter. It is not true that the bank participated in financing the campaign referred to during today’s press conference,”
he emphasized.
The controversy concerns videos published, among other places, on YouTube. There, a channel titled “Your Vote Matters” has been releasing short clips, usually a few dozen seconds long, since September 2023. The central theme of these videos is to portray politicians and voters of the current opposition negatively, aligning with the narrative promoted by the ruling coalition. In the past week, four new videos have appeared, featuring individuals with black bands over their eyes, speaking about the “return of our law and our justice” following the presidential elections.