Prosecutor opens probe into the Orlen-Lotos merger

The District Prosecutor’s Office in Płock has opened an investigation into Orlen. It is looking into the agreements related to the merger between Orlen and Lotos.

Agnieszka Pomaska, a member of the Civic Coalition, said she had received a notification from the Płock District Prosecutor’s Office. It concerns the investigation into the merger of Orlen and Lotos. Interia reports that, according to the letter revealed by the MP, the investigation also covers the issues of “failure of the management board of PKN Orlen” and “other persons who deal with property matters”. The portal reports that the MP has declared the prosecutor’s office received numerous reports about the merger. As she stated “Ziobro’s prosecutor’s office did nothing about this for a year” (Zbigniew Ziobro – the former Minister of Justice and Public Prosecutor General – ed.).

In addition to the merger itself, the investigation will also concern the sale of part of Lotos shares.

“In the second point, the prosecutor’s office opens an investigation into the abuse of authority and failure to perform duties by public officials, including the president of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, who agreed to this merger and improperly applied the provisions of the law, which should protect these transactions,” Interia quoted Pomaska.

In the opinion of the MP, the matter will not be swept under the rug. She also said that “the prosecutor’s office should be aware that no politicians will pressure it, but only expect it to do what it is supposed to do.”

“Lotos has not been sold, it has been given away at a discount, and this is the first fact that we actually confirm every day as we reveal more material about this great scandal. The decision to sell Lotos was not based on facts, nor on an economic analysis. It was not made to build a Polish champion, as Orlen was supposed to be, it was only a political decision,” MP Pomaska said as quoted by Interia.

Interia / Marcin Karwowski