The participation of Paweł G., CEO of MGGP S.A. and the son of former Treasury Minister Aleksander Grad, in a Polish-American business mission dedicated to the construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant has raised questions about the standards used in selecting participants for official delegations. The issue gained attention following publications and social media posts by investigative journalist Jarek Jakimczyk, who pointed out that the businessman is currently a defendant in an ongoing corruption trial before the Regional Court in Warsaw concerning alleged corruption in Ukraine.
In mid-May 2026, Wojciech Wrochna, the government’s plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure, visited the United States, where he discussed energy-related matters, including “the implementation of Poland’s first nuclear power plant, the participation of Polish companies in the project, cooperation in the fields of fuels and LNG, and the financing of strategic energy investments.”
According to the Ministry of Energy, the most important element of the visit was the meetings between representatives of Polish Nuclear Power Plants (PEJ) and their American partners, as well as a “business mission of Polish enterprises involved in the implementation of the first nuclear power plant project in Poland.”
Apart from a series of posts on X, the Ministry of Energy devoted little attention to the visit, and information about it is difficult to find on the ministry’s official website. The business mission, known as #PL2US, was organized by IGEOS Nuclear (the Chamber of Commerce for Energy and Environmental Protection) in cooperation with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) in Washington, as well as energy giants Westinghouse, Bechtel, and GE Vernova.
The mission included approximately 30 Polish representatives associated with numerous companies, as well as PEJ and the Ministry of Energy. On the American side, participants included, among others, Chris Klein from the U.S. Department of State. At the White House, representatives of Polish companies and the ministry met with officials from the U.S. Department of Energy, including Deputy Secretary James Danly. On Capitol Hill, they met with members of Congress, including Marcy Kaptur and Chuck Fleischmann, as well as “representatives of the U.S. government and industry.”
Members of the mission also participated in the Nuclear Energy Policy Forum conference organized by NEI.
“We would like to thank the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington and Paweł Luzak for the excellent organization and for creating opportunities to integrate representatives of the Polish mission with the American diplomatic and industrial communities. It was a unique culmination of our joint efforts and the time devoted to building relationships,” IGEOS Nuclear wrote in a post published on May 14.
Son of a former Civic Platform minister among participants
As Jakimczyk wrote, “Government plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure Wojciech Wrochna was accompanied during talks in Washington concerning the construction of a nuclear power plant in Pomerania by the son of former Treasury Minister Aleksander Grad, who is facing corruption charges as CEO of MGGP S.A., the company he represented in the United States.”
The matter concerns one of the most important investments planned by the Polish state. The construction of a nuclear power plant in Pomerania is to be carried out in cooperation with the American Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium and constitutes a key element of Poland’s energy security strategy.
Corruption trial involving Sławomir Nowak
The central focus of Jakimczyk’s publication is the legal status of Paweł G. The journalist reminds readers that the businessman is among the defendants in a trial whose most recognizable participant is former Transport Minister and Civic Platform politician Sławomir Nowak.
According to the publication, the case concerns activities within Ukravtodor, Ukraine’s equivalent of Poland’s General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways, which Nowak headed between 2016 and 2019.
“According to the indictment filed with the court by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw, Paweł G., as CEO of the family-owned company MGGP S.A., was supposed to have paid two invoices for fictitious consulting services provided by Europe Partners, a private company owned by Sławomir Nowak,” Jakimczyk wrote.
According to investigators, this benefit was allegedly connected to efforts to obtain a public contract in Ukraine. The publication states that, according to law enforcement authorities, “in exchange for this benefit, Sławomir Nowak was expected to support MGGP S.A. in its efforts to secure a public procurement contract concerning motorway services in the Lviv region.”
At the same time, the journalist noted the position of the defendants. “The defendants and their legal defense argue that MGGP S.A. did not obtain any contract from Ukravtodor,” the publication states.
The trial is still ongoing, and no verdict has yet been issued. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
MGGP hopes to participate in Poland’s largest investment project
The publication also describes the ownership structure of MGGP. According to Jakimczyk, the company is controlled by the Grad Family Foundation and a foundation linked to the family of Franciszek Gryboś, a long-time business partner of Aleksander Grad.
The journalist notes that the most recognizable figure among the owners remains the former Treasury Minister in Donald Tusk’s first government.
“The owners of MGGP S.A., among whom the most recognizable figure is a former Civic Platform MP and Treasury Minister in Donald Tusk’s first cabinet, clearly appear to be counting on their company’s participation in contracts connected with the state’s investment in the construction of a nuclear reactor in Choczewo,” Jakimczyk wrote.
MGGP S.A., in consortium with Drees & Sommer, also submitted a bid to become the General Contract Engineer for the airport being built as part of the Central Communication Port (CPK) project. After the tender was awarded to a consortium led by Hill International, MGGP filed an appeal with the National Appeals Chamber (KIO).
Behind the selection of delegation participants
Jakimczyk also described how the business delegation was assembled, citing a conversation with Bogdan Plich, Director General of the Chamber of Commerce for Energy and Environmental Protection, which co-organized the initiative.
“There was enormous interest, but due to logistical constraints, out of around 80 companies that applied, we were only able to select 25 representatives of Polish business,” Plich explained.
According to him, the selection process was carried out jointly with representatives of Bechtel and Westinghouse. Priority was given to entities that could potentially participate in the nuclear project. Companies mentioned by Plich included Budimex, Mostostal Kraków, Mostostal Siedlce, Famak Ferrum, and Wafapomp.
“We had no knowledge of the trial”
The most noteworthy part of the conversation concerned the organizers’ awareness of the legal situation involving the CEO of MGGP. Plich admitted that he was unaware that Paweł G. was a defendant in a corruption trial.
“Had I known this earlier, we at IGEOS would not have changed our decision. Perhaps we would have suggested that the Americans take this circumstance into account, and they might then have treated the application from the Tarnów-based company differently,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Energy was not involved in the selection process for business representatives.
Questions about state standards
In the final part of his material, Jakimczyk raised the issue of responsibility for the state’s image in the implementation of strategic projects.
“For now, Paweł G., as a defendant, is of course entitled to the presumption of innocence,” the journalist wrote.
At the same time, he argued that public administration should also take reputational risks into account. In his view, the presence of a person facing corruption charges in an official delegation could be perceived by foreign partners as a sign of insufficient commitment to anti-corruption standards in projects of strategic importance.
Calls for changes to procedures
A day after publishing his extensive report on Paweł G.’s participation in the delegation to the United States, Jakimczyk returned to the issue. This time, he focused not on the circumstances of the trip itself but on the procedures that, in his opinion, should govern foreign missions involving state representatives.
“The term ‘centrifuge’ is commonly used to describe an in-depth vetting process conducted by the Internal Security Agency (ABW) for candidates seeking senior positions in the state and state-owned companies,” the journalist wrote.
In his view, a similar approach should also apply to entrepreneurs participating in official government delegations. Jakimczyk argued that the issue concerns not only state security but also reputational considerations.
“The CBA should screen delegation participants”
The strongest part of his commentary concerned the role of state institutions.
“The Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) should verify whether entrepreneurs accompanying government officials on foreign delegations are facing corruption charges,” he stated.
Jakimczyk emphasized that he was not questioning the principle of the presumption of innocence. He explicitly acknowledged that defendants retain their full legal rights. However, he argued that the issue arises when such individuals become part of official state-organized initiatives and represent Poland during talks with foreign partners.
“It is a matter of the state’s image and reputation should the risk of a final conviction materialize for individuals who currently enjoy the presumption of innocence,” he wrote in a Saturday post.
Furthermore, he argued that the participation of Paweł G. in discussions concerning the construction of the nuclear power plant should be analyzed as a basis for creating new standards within public administration.
“The participation of Paweł G., CEO of MGGP S.A., who is facing corruption charges in Ukraine-related proceedings and is the son of former Civic Platform politician Aleksander Grad, in discussions regarding the construction of a nuclear power plant in Pomerania (…) should be examined in order to develop appropriate practices,” he stated.
According to the author, such solutions could help “prevent awkward situations on the international stage and any resulting damage to Poland’s national interest.”