“I want to emphasize that I have always acted in the interest of Polish farmers, and any campaign against me and my family will never change that,” wrote Robert Telus in a statement. The politician’s name has appeared in the context of the sale of a plot of land intended for the Central Communication Port (CPK). He denies the media allegations.
At the end of the United Right government’s term, a 160-hectare plot of land crucial to the development of the Central Communication Port was sold in Zabłotnia (Mazowieckie Province). The leader of Law and Justice (PiS), Jarosław Kaczyński, suspended party members then responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture – Robert Telus and Rafał Romanowski. Law and Justice politicians launched parliamentary inspections, revealing that further negligence occurred in the following months.
The scandal has been widely discussed in the media. Today, the former Minister of Agriculture issued a statement on the matter.
Below is the full text of Robert Telus’s statement:
“After a week of manipulation and lies targeting me and my family, I declare that:
1. I had no knowledge whatsoever of the sale of plot 87/1 in Zabłotnia. There is not a single one of my signatures on the documents concerning this case, and it never crossed my desk.
2. Contrary to the initial false claims, this plot does not lie within the area of the planned CPK construction, but more than six kilometers away from it.
3. If all or part of this plot should be needed for investments accompanying CPK, such as railway tracks, the provisions of the sales agreement and the land and mortgage register allow for its immediate repurchase at the selling price, without any loss to the State Treasury.
4. However, these past few days have shown that Tusk’s government and the December 13 coalition have spent nearly two years doing nothing but blocking the CPK investment and have not made any progress on it.
Regarding my meetings with Mr. Andrzej Wielgomas, I declare that:
1. We met in 2023 due to the crisis on the vegetable and soft fruit (mainly raspberry) market. The goal was to develop a plan to buy raspberries back from farmers in order to prevent losses for producers.
2. The issue was the need to process the vegetables and fruit, which is why we spoke with the Polish agri-food processing company Dawtona. For me, the company’s political sympathies did not matter – only the welfare of Polish farmers.
3. At that time, Dawtona was opening Europe’s most modern tomato purée production line, which we visited as part of our efforts to support the development of Polish food processing.
4. Additionally, I emphasize that the 1,500 promotional tubes of fruit purée worth 750 PLN!!! were purchased legally from another company that had long cooperated with Dawtona. It was a promotional product, cheaper than retail, and not full-weight – a marketing gadget. Turning this into a scandal only proves the decline of standards among some journalists.
I want to emphasize that I have always acted in the interest of Polish farmers, and any campaign against me and my family will never change that.”