Jacek Kapica, Deputy Minister of Finance and former head of the Customs Service (SC) during Donald Tusk’s first government, has returned to public administration after a ten-year break. He has now been appointed Minister-Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London. Kapica’s return to politics is stirring major controversy due to the ongoing trial in which he is accused of failing to fulfill his duties in connection with the so-called gambling scandal.
Jacek Kapica – after a decade – has once again taken a significant post in public administration – he has become Minister-Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London, where he is responsible for cooperation in customs and tax matters.
At the same time, the trial is still ongoing in which this politician – along with seven other officials – is accused of negligence. According to the prosecutor’s office in Białystok, their actions allegedly enabled the gambling mafia to reap profits amounting to 21 billion PLN.
As reported many times on the portal Niezalezna.pl: Today’s edition of Rzeczpospolita writes that during the gambling scandal of 2009, Kapica was seen as “the sheriff” fighting the gambling lobby. He reportedly informed Donald Tusk about attempts to exert pressure on the Gambling Act. It is worth noting that he was under Government Protection Bureau (BOR) security, while businessmen linked to the gambling industry undertook numerous actions against him, signaling that they had had enough of him.
A return after a decade
After the change of government in 2015, Kapica left the ministry, although he worked at the Customs Chamber. Later, he moved into the private sector, serving as Chief Operating Officer at the Polish branch of Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services (STTAS), an international law and trade consulting firm.
In 2019, he was detained by the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) and charged with intentional negligence. The prosecution accused him of failing to respond to signals about irregularities in the registration of slot machines. The allegations concern the years 2009–2015. Initially, the court dismissed the case, claiming no crime had been committed. However, after the prosecutor’s appeal, the trial finally began in 2023.
As Rz reports, Kapica’s return to state structures, as well as his swift promotion – from senior expert at the National Revenue Administration (KAS) to diplomat in London – is causing mixed feelings, even among his former colleagues.