A large-scale investigation into a corruption scheme related to the illegal acceleration of residence permit procedures for foreigners is ongoing in Poland. As part of the latest wave of arrests conducted by the Gdańsk police, nine Ukrainian citizens were detained, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to the local police website.
According to investigators, the Ukrainians acted as intermediaries in dealings with officials from the Pomeranian Voivodeship Office, offering financial rewards to speed up the issuance of positive decisions on residence permits. They have been charged under Article 230a §1 of the Polish Penal Code, which provides for up to eight years in prison.
Due to the scope of the corruption network, police do not rule out further arrests. Law enforcement is calling on individuals who paid bribes to speed up the residence card process to come forward and contact the Anti-Corruption Department of the Gdańsk Police Headquarters. Anyone who provided material benefits to public officials or individuals claiming influence within the Pomeranian Voivodeship Office may avoid criminal liability if they voluntarily report the incident.
The previous stage of the investigation occurred in November 2024. At that time, the anti-corruption unit arrested a 51-year-old employee of the Voivodeship administration in Gdańsk on suspicion of accepting bribes in exchange for expediting the legalization of foreigners. Investigators estimate that she could have illegally received at least 30,000 zloty over the course of a year.
Alongside the official, four foreign intermediaries were also detained — 44-year-old Yurii K., 32-year-old Oybekjon T., 49-year-old Andrii B., and 48-year-old Yelyzaveta Ya. According to police, they charged clients anywhere from several hundred to several thousand zloty for “assistance” in obtaining residence cards, claiming to have connections within the Pomeranian Voivodeship administration.
Earlier we wrote that Karol Nawrocki Poland’s new president and his view on Ukraine.