For many years, a Szczecin-based company called 2 Event has been receiving public contracts from institutions managed by Civic Platform (PO) politicians. The company’s co-owner and president, Marcin Wypchło, is a local PO activist, an associate of MP Sławomir Nitras, and the head of the Campus Poland Foundation, known for organizing Rafał Trzaskowski’s party event.
For years, 2 Event has secured lucrative contracts and signed profitable agreements with, among others, the Marshal’s Office of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, municipal companies, and the University of Szczecin. The amounts involved reach hundreds of thousands and even millions of zlotys.
The company came into the spotlight during the last presidential campaign. Rafał Kubowicz, a Confederation activist from Szczecin, revealed that 2 Event received a 350,000 PLN contract for organizing the Ecological Forum in Szczecin, whose special guest was Rafał Trzaskowski. Kubowicz pointed out that the event, organized by 2 Event and financed by the Marshal’s Office of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, was meant to support Trzaskowski’s election campaign. Text messages inviting people to meet the PO candidate were reportedly sent from a phone belonging to the parliamentary office of MP Arkadiusz Marchewka from PO.
Million-zloty contracts
However, organizing the Ecological Forum is not the only contract 2 Event has received. Documents from the Marshal’s Office of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, headed by Olgierd Geblewicz – simultaneously the head of PO’s regional structures in Western Pomerania – show dozens of contracts awarded to the company. Some were worth tens of thousands of zlotys, others hundreds of thousands or even millions.
The frequency of awarding contracts to the same contractor is striking. In 2023 alone, Nitras and Trzaskowski’s associate’s company received six contracts worth over 3.5 million PLN. What kind of events did they organize? For 287,000 PLN, the company handled “the organization of the West Pomerania Zone during the Pol and Rock Festival,” and for another 285,000 PLN, it “organized cycling events.” The largest contract won by 2 Event in 2023 was “Planning, preparing, and conducting the Economic Competition along with its final gala and a promotional campaign showcasing the potential of West Pomerania.” The value of the agreement signed with the Marshal’s Office was 2.4 million PLN.
This pattern repeats every year. The company belonging to associates of prominent PO figures consistently wins lucrative public tenders from the Marshal’s Office. Examples abound: in 2022, it received 119,000 PLN for “Organizing the European Funds Zone to promote the Regional Operational Program of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship 2014–2020 during the Pol and Rock Festival.” Each year, the company receives hundreds of thousands of zlotys for organizing events such as the Social Activist Program Gala, the Ecological Forum, and many others.
Wyspa Grodzka – luxury for a fraction of the price
Another controversial issue concerns Wyspa Grodzka, a hotspot on Szczecin’s entertainment map. 2 Event manages this venue under a contract with Żegluga Szczecińska, a company owned by the City of Szczecin, which is co-governed by the Civic Coalition (KO) and Mayor Piotr Krzystek, a former PO activist who is now independent.
How much does the company pay for the lease? The rent amount raises eyebrows: from May to September, 2 Event pays the municipal company Żegluga Szczecińska 16,000 PLN net per month, and in the remaining months – only 500 PLN net. Real estate and leasing experts say bluntly that the rate is symbolic compared to the potential profits generated by such a prime location in the city center.
Politics in the background
2 Event’s owner, Marcin Wypchło, is not an unknown figure. In 2010, he ran for Szczecin’s City Council on the PO ticket. Today, he serves as the president of the Campus Poland Foundation – a project that has become Rafał Trzaskowski’s political hallmark. He also maintains close ties with PO MP Sławomir Nitras. As a result, questions are increasingly being raised in Szczecin: does 2 Event truly win competitive tenders, or does it simply benefit from the favor of KO-controlled authorities?
Szczecin councilors: This is no coincidence
According to Agnieszka Kurzawa, a Szczecin city councilor representing Law and Justice (PiS), “it looks like 2 Event has a monopoly on organizing events in Szczecin.” She added, “As we can see, there are many political connections here, so it’s reasonable to question how this company keeps winning contracts from local governments run by KO.“
“There are many more of these contracts and agreements, and we’re talking about sums ranging from millions to hundreds of thousands,” Kurzawa continued. “One could say we’re dealing with Civic Platform’s golden child, and the claims about this company supposedly offering the best bids raise serious doubts given its clear political ties.“
Szczecin councilor Marcin Romanowski from PiS believes that 2 Event is treated exceptionally well by public institutions in Szczecin managed by PO politicians. “Starting with the Marshal’s Office, where it benefits from numerous well-paid contracts – for example, the Ecological Forum organized during the election campaign, where Rafał Trzaskowski was a guest and the company received nearly 350,000 PLN in public funds for hosting it. The same favorable treatment can be seen in municipal entities. It’s hard to call that a coincidence,” Romanowski said.
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