Finance Minister Andrzej Domański would rather see Gazprom’s money remain frozen in an account that cannot currently be accessed than have PLN 180 million benefit the Polish economy. “It’s absurd,” said Janusz Kowalski on TV Republika. The case concerns the fine imposed on the Russian energy giant by the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, Tomasz Chróstny, and successfully upheld in court.
The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection came close to enforcing a fine of more than PLN 174 million against Gazprom. However, the effort was blocked by the Ministry of Finance, headed by Andrzej Domański. The ministry accepted what critics described as an extraordinary legal opinion issued by the Lower Silesian Customs and Tax Office in Wrocław.
According to the office, enforcing the fine against the Russian giant would amount to… indirectly returning part of its frozen funds.
Faced with that interpretation and its acceptance by the Finance Ministry, former Deputy Minister of State Assets Janusz Kowalski expressed his disbelief. He commented on the ministry’s decision in an interview with TV Republika.
“Today I read this and I simply cannot believe that Finance Minister Andrzej Domański blocked the actual enforcement of the judgment,” the politician began. He announced that at noon he would enter the Ministry of Finance as a member of the parliamentary Public Finance Committee “to clarify this scandal.”
“The Polish people must see the full picture of this outrageous case. I simply cannot comprehend how the finance minister does not want PLN 180 million to flow into the State Treasury. His explanation is completely senseless,” he said, accusing Domański. “Minister Domański would rather see Gazprom’s money remain frozen in an account that cannot currently be accessed than have PLN 180 million benefit the Polish economy. It’s absurd,” Kowalski continued.
He also accused the ruling camp, saying that “wherever this government is involved, Russian interests are always somewhere in the background.”
“Their anti-Russian rhetoric has nothing to do with their actions. At Gazprom headquarters, champagne corks are popping right now,” Kowalski concluded.
Fine Over Nord Stream 2
In 2020, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, Tomasz Chróstny, imposed a fine of nearly PLN 213 million (EUR 50 million) on the Russian energy giant Gazprom. The penalty resulted from Gazprom’s failure to cooperate with an investigation related to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
“The fine imposed on Gazprom is connected with the ongoing proceedings concerning the establishment of a consortium financing the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline without the required approval of the President of UOKiK,” the authority explained at the time.
Gazprom ignored requests from the Polish authority, including demands to provide documentation. After UOKiK imposed the maximum possible fine, the Russian company appealed to the Court of Competition and Consumer Protection.
In the summer of 2024, the Court of Competition and Consumer Protection upheld Chróstny’s decision and confirmed its merits, while reducing the fine to PLN 174 million (EUR 40 million). Gazprom appealed once again, but the appellate court upheld the ruling, confirming both the Russian company’s liability and the fine of more than PLN 174 million. Despite the final judgment, Gazprom ignored the ruling and has no intention of paying the amount awarded to Poland.