Polish government under pressure after visa scam
The Polish government is under pressure after it was revealed that a system existed in which migrants were receiving Polish visas, for a fee, at an accelerated pace and without adequate checks.
Polish media have reported that thousands of migrants paid up to $5,000 to Polish consulates and private companies to obtain visas more quickly.
"We discovered a whole well-oiled system," said Lukasz Ciesla, an investigative journalist for ONET in Poland. "Lists of people were sent to Polish consulates and embassies in Asia and Africa, and these people were supposed to get visas. The mechanism was particularly vicious in India. Often, these people would not even show up at the consulate or embassy. To submit visa documents in India, it was necessary to pay a bribe - according to my sources - the equivalent of about 800 euros. The consulting company acknowledges that it was aware that bribes were being paid and says it has always reported incidents to law enforcement agencies."
Chris Dix, head of business development at VFS Global, the company that processes visa applications for the Polish government, denied any wrongdoing.
"We have only administrative tasks, such as checking forms, etc. We are not involved in the decision-making processes for visas. Since we have been working for the Polish government, no member of our staff has been arrested or investigated for any misconduct related to visa services for Poland," Dix said. "We recently had an incident when members of our staff were accused of abuse of office. But that was under a different government. When we learned of these allegations, we immediately informed the local police."
The visa scandal, as well as the increasing number of undocumented crossings on immigration routes, either through Russia and Belarus, or through the Balkans, have led to all Polish borders being more closely monitored in recent days.
"According to the Schengen Code, an EU member state can introduce temporary controls in an emergency situation," said Mariusz Kaminski, the Polish interior minister. "We are imposing such a control for 10 days, in accordance with the procedure. It is very likely that, in accordance with the regulations and procedures, this control will be extended."
"We have strengthened controls on the Slovak sector, on the Czech sector, we have slightly strengthened checks at the border with Lithuania, and, of course, we are conducting such controls at the German border, also in joint patrols with German services," said Anna Michalska, a spokeswoman for the Border Police.
The government in Warsaw has admitted that hundreds of visas were issued illegally, but it disputes the opposition's claims that the number is much higher than has been reported.
The issue of migration is one of the key themes of the electoral campaign - the way the problem is addressed and the solutions proposed by politicians will have a significant impact on how Poles vote on October 15.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
