Poland’s parliament engaged in discussions on Tuesday regarding the establishment of three commissions tasked with probing allegations of misconduct during the eight-year tenure of the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party in government.
Following the October election, a coalition of pro-European Union parties, poised to assume power, has pledged to scrutinize PiS lawmakers for alleged misappropriation of public funds, corruption related to visa allocations, and the use of spyware to target political opponents.
With PiS’s adversaries holding a majority, it is highly likely that parliament will endorse the formation of these commissions on Wednesday.
PiS vehemently denies any wrongdoing and dismisses the proposed commissions as mere political theater intended to divert attention from more pressing matters.
Parliament speaker Szymon Holownia, during a news conference, commented on the complexity of appointing investigative commissions, emphasizing that the process must commence promptly. He expressed hope that at least one commission would be formed by the year’s end.
The first commission aims to investigate PiS’s attempts to organize a presidential election in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, exclusively through postal votes. Despite the plans falling through, Poland’s Supreme Audit Office (NIK) estimated the cost to taxpayers at over 76 million zlotys ($19.17 million).
The second commission will focus on allegations that PiS utilized Pegasus spyware to breach the privacy of political opponents. The third will examine claims of government complicity in a system where migrants reportedly obtained visas without proper scrutiny after paying intermediaries.
On Monday, President Andrzej Duda swore in a PiS government led by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, but its tenure is expected to be brief. It faces a vote of confidence after two weeks, which it appears likely to lose due to lacking a majority despite being the largest single party, as all other parties have ruled out collaboration.
