Poland, still corrupt, but not as bad as Czech/Hungary & Italy

Well, it kind of states the obvious and everyone living here will know that money in brown envelopes will makes the wheels turn faster in Poland, or having two 50zl notes in your drivers license can get you off with a lot, but it's good to see that it's not as bad as some of our European counterparts.

In business as well, I know it's quite common practice, that if you receive a huge bank loan it's the norm to skim a bit off the top and give it to the bank clerk responsible for getting you the loan.

transparency.org/cpi2012/results

I've paid extra to get bumbed up in a line before and I've handed money to people to get things done faster rather than wait. It's not right but that's just the way it is here, any of you got any stories of partaking in corrupt behaviour?

When Tusk first got elected ABW was ordered to immediately drop investigations into a Gdansk area personality called Ryszard Krause. RK took the first plane home.

Does this count?

Funny how you don't mention how those investigations got started. I wonder why you don't want to mention Duckboy abusing the ABW in an attempt to stitch up one of his political enemies.

My husband is working on a deal that is so corrupt and he has traced it to Tusk.

Wow, how about reporting it to police or maybe even some media! :)

I bet he would love to read about it on some internet forum.

He can't. He already thinks his phone is being tapped- strange happenings. Basically the deal has already been done and my husband has been hired so that it looks legit. He took the job not knowing that everything was done. A lot of insider stuff goes on in commercial real estate and he doesn't play that way but he got wrapped up in it not knowing until it was too late -luckily it is almost done and he can move on---because living with somebody who has a hard time dealing with corruption is a nightmare.

Having lived in Botswana, I personally find it very hard to believe that it is ranked ahead of Poland. From personal experience, if you didn't bribe the guards on the border crossing to South Africa, you had to be prepared to wait for a very long time before crossing(:

Merged: Poland doing better on the annual corruption TI index

Poland is advancing on the annual corruption index of Transparency International. I think that's good news. Personally speaking, in all these years I am living here I never paid any bribe in Poland.

In Q2, I ceased bribing my stylist to use a blob of extra fixing gel on my hair. This may have skewed the figures somewhat.

Merged: Who could be most corrupted Poland's politician, by whom and why ?

Who could be most corrupted Polish politician, by whom and why?

i`m just curious. What you people think?

Lech Wałęsa and any other leftover commies.

Any one of several individuals within the PiS local organisations.

give 10 bux to police and u go no problem

Merged:

Ziobro to crack down on corrupt prosecutors and judges

Prosecutor General/Justice Minister Zb. Ziobro, that sterling crusader of Polish jurisprudence, plans to introduce a 3-year jail sentence for prosecutors and judges convicted of taking taking bribes. It tursn out that the allegedly fair and impartial justice system is riddled with toga-clad bandits and scmasters. The di who ahd free reign udner the PO regime. The director of Gdańsk's Appeals Coiurt is under investigation as the ringleader of a gang that siphoned off milliosn of złotys through a fake invoice scam. Other judges have recnetly been caught shopliftign, tying to remove a pendrive, trousers or piece of kiełbasa from a shop without paying. A judge released a notorious internaitonal gangster nicknamed Hoss on a pittance of a bail and the skipped bail and vanished into thin air. How much did he fork over to persuade the judge. Marek Belka testified before hte Amberhgold commission that Tusk and others high up knew about the scam well inadvance but suppressed all attemtps to stop it. We should be seeing Tusk in the dock fairly soon. Also, Poland is at the bottom of the European barrel for prolonged court proceedings. Apparently judges are too buy counting the bribes they rake in to worry about making judicial machinery more efficient. One thing is certain -- after Ziobro moves against the judicial scmasters, they will end up behind bars where they belong.

The one who got a 3 overall grade (the lowest passing grade) in his studies and who didn't even complete the "aplikacja" in any direction?

Not much of a crusader, if you ask me.

The proof of the pudding....etc. It's not some scrap of paper but the broom he uses to sweep away the scum that counts.

So, when will he be using that broom to sweep away the corruption, such as the habit of the Minister of Defence in putting unqualified, inexperienced young men in positions that they are unsuitable for?

The reality is that this is simply about seizing the assets of companies that aren't friendly towards the government. Criticise PiS as the owner of a large business? Expect your assets to be seized without trial.

Putin will be proud.

Unless someone bribed an official to appoint him, that is not corruption. You and your ilk randomly toss words about if only to jab the people-friendly PiS party. Your cohorts were even hoping last summer's NATO summit would get called off all because of all the the anti-PiS badmouthing being spread abroad by the impotent but vocifeorus "total" oppositon. Anything to bash PiS, but absoltuely no programme, nothing to improve the nation's life or the country's image. And the idiots still can't see why PiS are getting 40% poll support. The only fitting summary is: the mangy curs will yap and howl but the caravan of good-change government moves on.

More lame nitpicking... Piłsudski didn't even have a master's degree, so what does that prove? The proof will be when the ranks are finally cleansed of PO-era oldboy appointees only in it for themselves and their foreign-interest-group masters.

Rzepa reports a campaign under way to to clean up the diplomatic corps of co mmie-era hangers-on. Everyone in the corps, incłluding ambassadors, consuls, attachés and other staff that had contacts with secret services prior to 1990 will lose their jobs. It's about time! Previous governemnts all upheld the unwritten and illegal rule that only the post-roundtabler clique of "Nocna zmiana" fame may rule the land and enjoy the fruits of the harvest.

fakty.interia.pl/prasa/news-rz-przeglad-kadr-w-dyplomacji-skansen-prl,nId,2356605?parametr=polecamy&iwa_source=rek_101

What about resident non-citizens?

And what is meant by "contacts"? Anyone in public life ended up having some type of contact with them (including JK I'd bet a small fortune).

This is the exact opposite of the kind of reckoning with the past that is actually needed - arbitrary witch hunts agains the ruling party's enemy of the moment (very PRL in and of itself).


No, it's blatent incompetence, which doesn't seem to bother the government as long as the "right" people are wasting public monies....

Are non-citizens allowed to be ambassadors or hold other jobs in the diplomatic corps? By contacts one presumes it means being a TW like Wałęsa, Boni, Komorowsk, Tusk and others.

Whatever PiS says it means..... more rampant TKM from the unhinged "masters" of the country...

Indeed, you are a true son of the "total(ly hare-brained) opposition". Too impotent to adopt or block legislation or recall an official but great at ranting, chanting and mud-slinging... But the caravan just moves on.

So I guess you're okay then....

The Black Market is alive and well and what worked in former Communist times, works just as well today right here in the States:-)

Polonius, are you really so naive as to believe that PiS aren't riddled with people that also had such contacts? I mean - seriously - are you that brainwashed that you're willing to pretend that Interior Ministry local bosses wouldn't have had such contacts, or what about public prosecutors operating during martial law?

It seems to me that you're willing to tolerate people with close PZPR connections so long as they're now members of PiS.


I'd name names, but I'm afraid of those criminal libel laws. However, a lot of the current government come from nomeklatura families, and many of them only owe their position in public life through having prominent local families. One person in particular has three close family members that are known to be ex-PZPR, while many others had parents in good jobs as a result of their links with the PZPR.

Isn't that part of the PiS racket? I'd assume the message is "Join us (for a fee) and get a clean bill of political health, otherwise we'll proscribe your asrses"

That seems to be exactly the point. If you join them and loudly and publicly agree with whatever the Dear Leader Chairman Kaczyński says, they'll make sure that you don't have to worry. Prosecuted dissidents during the PRL? You're the perfect man to be the leader of our justice committee!