Former government embezzled billions, says Polish prime minister

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday accused the former Law and Justice (PiS) party of misappropriating billions in public funds during its eight years in power.

Inspectors from the financial administration are currently scrutinizing 90 state institutions, Tusk said in Warsaw. According to him, the PiS government spent the equivalent of $25 billion illegally.

The conservative-national PiS party, which put Poland on a confrontational course with the European Union, led the country from 2015 to 2023.

It lost the parliamentary elections last October and Poland. The country has been governed by a centre-left alliance under Tusk since December.

So far, 62 people are under investigation, while the public prosecutor's office has received 149 complaints, Tusk said.

"What stands out the most is a deliberate strategy of using public funds that flowed from the ministries to foundations run by politicians or their family members," he said.

PiS had been very creative in using these public funds for election campaign advertising, Tusk added.

He also spoke of a "closed system" in which not only public funds, but also entire authorities and their employees were used in favour of the ruling PiS party.

The current interior, justice and finance ministers have signed an agreement to jointly pursue abuses and financial crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice and return embezzled funds.

Writing on X, former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki rejected the accusations as lies designed to "liquidate the largest opposition party in Poland."