Roman Giertych received 2.4 million PLN in legal fees from two companies owned by his longtime bodyguard and driver, as well as by a former MP of the League of Polish Families. These funds allegedly came from money siphoned out of Polnord. Giertych was charged, among other things, with money laundering in connection with this scheme. During Donald Tusk’s government, his case was discontinued, while prosecutors and former officers of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) investigating the affair are now being prosecuted by the authorities and attacked by pro-government media, reports Gazeta Polska in its latest issue.
According to investigators, the key role in the operation was played by shell companies set up by Giertych’s longtime bodyguard and driver, Sebastian J., nicknamed “Seal.” These companies, which had no assets of their own, were allegedly involved in trading a debt worth tens of millions of zlotys, which was ultimately purchased by Polnord. More than 2.4 million PLN from these companies was transferred to Giertych’s law firm. Journalist Leszek Kraskowski, who investigated the case and later left Poland fearing reprisals, wrote bluntly:
“The documents collected by the Lublin prosecutor’s office give absolute certainty that the legal service contracts, which were the basis for the transfers to Giertych, were fictitious. The purpose was merely to create a pretext for moving the money. ‘Seal’s’ laundry was the first phase of an operation that led to siphoning 93 million PLN from Polnord.”
Another element of the scheme involved the purchase of land near Poznań, which a company owned by “Seal’s” wife bought for 7 million PLN and resold to Polnord just eight days later for 27 million PLN.
In January 2025, under the new government, the prosecutor’s office dropped the charges against Roman Giertych, arguing that his role in the entire affair was limited to “professional matters” and that his law firm merely provided services to the entities involved in the transactions. Sebastian J. was identified as the “mastermind” of the operation, who, according to the prosecution, had “become independent.” At the same time, a witch hunt began against the officers and prosecutors who had investigated the case. Among those charged was a former deputy head of the CBA, and pro-government media revealed the personal data of the officer who conducted the operational surveillance of Giertych.
Former CBA officer Artur Chodziński commented unequivocally on these actions:
“The essence of the work of Investigative Team No. 3, led by Prosecutor Józef Gacek, is in fact to prove a false thesis that Roman Giertych is an innocent victim of an illegal system, as well as to take revenge on those involved in the Polnord case.”
How exactly did the money siphoning mechanism work? Who else was involved in this scheme, and why did the prosecutor’s office decide to target those investigating the scandal rather than its alleged perpetrators? Piotr Nisztor writes about the background of one of the biggest economic scandals of recent years - and its political dimensions - in the latest issue of Gazeta Polska.