Poland Accuses Media of Exaggerating Cash-for-Visas Scandal in Desperate Ploy to Win Re-election
Poland accuses media of exaggerating cash-for-visas scandal, timing seen as political move to discredit ruling nationalists before re-election. EU Commission finds government's response inadequate. Germany deploys border officers.
In an ongoing scandal that has gripped Poland, the government has written to the European Union's Home Affairs Commissioner, Ylva Johansson, accusing the media of exaggerating a cash-for-visas scandal. The timing of these allegations is seen as an attempt to discredit the ruling nationalists ahead of a tough re-election battle next month. The EU Commission has received the letter, but finds it inadequate in addressing all the questions raised. The scandal came to light after Johansson called on Poland to address allegations that up to 350,000 migrants had purchased EU Schengen visas at Polish consulates through intermediaries, potentially violating EU law.
The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which is seeking a third term in office, has centered its campaign on tough anti-immigrant rhetoric. The government recently fired the head of its legal service and canceled all outsourcing contracts for visa applications after irregularities were discovered. The letter from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed by Undersecretary of State Paweł Jabłoński, denies the allegations made by the media and the center-left opposition that migrants entered the country without security checks.
Prosecutors have investigated only 268 cases, according to the letter, and all migrants who applied for visas via external companies underwent thorough security checks. Germany has responded to the scandal by deploying additional border police officers to the German-Polish frontier and summoning the Polish ambassador for clarification. The issue has also raised concerns at the EU level, with the European Commission spokesperson, Anitta Hipper, stating that the letter received does not adequately answer all the questions posed. The Commission expects a full reply by October 3.
According to Eurostat data, Poland issued nearly 2 million work visas in the past three years, including 600,000 in 2020, representing over a quarter of the total in the EU. Poland seeks to downplay the scandal, attributing it to political exploitation by the opposition ahead of the parliamentary election. The investigation into the matter is ongoing, and its impact on the election remains to be seen.
