2024-09-11 20:23 update: 2024-09-11, 20:28
Fot. PAP/Jakub Kaczmarczyk
Poland's Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) agents have detained Ryszard C., a former vice-president of the European Parliament (EP) and a prominent member of the Polish former ruling party Law and Justice (PiS), in a case concerning fraudulent issuance of MBA diplomas.
C.'s wife, Emilia H., was also detained. Surnames of the suspects in criminal cases must be withheld under Polish law.
"Today at about 4pm CBA agents detained at a Warsaw airport former Member of the European Parliament Ryszard C.," Jacek Dobrzynski, spokesman for the minister-coordinator of security services wrote on the X platform on Wednesday afternoon. "At the same time his wife, Emilia H. was detained."
Dobrzynski added that the investigation was carried out by CBA and a Katowice department of the National Prosecutor's Office and concerned Collegium Humanum, a university established in Warsaw in 2018 that has found itself at the centre of a high-profile MBA diploma scandal.
According to newspaper reports, the university offered fast-track MBA courses that allowed graduates to apply for seats at supervisory boards of state-owned companies. However, it turned out that Collegium Humanum had no powers to issue MBA diplomas and neither did the foreign universities it cooperated with.
Collegium Humanum graduates included politicians, CEOs and management board members of state-owned companies, security services officers and military commanders.
C. previously admitted to defrauding European Parliament's funds while applying for reimbursement of his travel costs. He claimed it was unintentional and returned the undue funding. (PAP)
jd/mf
