On Monday, Jakub Osajda, who on September 15, 2023, was dismissed from the position of director of the legal and compliance management office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, appeared before the committee. Next, Maria Wiktoria Raczyñska, who was an assistant to the then deputy minister of foreign affairs, Piotr Wawrzyk, will be questioned.
What did Maria Raczyñska testify?
At the beginning of the hearing, the witness took advantage of the opportunity to speak freely. She assessed that the activities of the investigative commission were very necessary because “the image of the Polish state has suffered at least to some extent and the trust of many Poles in state institutions has certainly been shaken.” As she added, for this reason it is crucial to publicly verify as quickly as possible what the visa scandal really is, “and above all, what it is not.” – I am very glad that it has already been stated by the committee members that they are examining the issue of 607 cases rather than 300,000. – said Raczyñska. – I hope that it will be confirmed that the alleged selling of visas is technically impossible, so in all likelihood it is a myth – she added.
At the same time, the witness expressed regret that “a large part of the commission seems focused not on caring for Poland’s good name, but rather on doubling the work of the prosecutor’s office for taxpayers’ money.” – According to my knowledge, the alleged visa scandal does not exist – said Raczyñska. In this context, she added that Edgar Kobos admitted to committing the crime and his actions would be assessed by the court.
Raczyñska also referred to the earlier testimony of another witness, Jakub Osajda, a former director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She said, among other things, that “the information that she informed him that she had handed over hundreds of letters is absurd.” This is a list of people selected for obtaining visas in an accelerated manner and without thorough checking. She also denied the testimony of Osajda, who said that 1/4 of Raczyńska’s full-time job was devoted to handling the affairs of Edgar Kobos. – It was not my responsibility to handle Mr. Kobos’ affairs – she assured.
Who is Maria Wiktoria Raczyñska?
Portal radiozet.pl took a closer look at the figure of Maria Wiktoria Raczyńska. Wawrzyk’s former assistant was associated with the youth group of Law and Justice. She does not hide her support for PiS, which can be seen, for example, on her profile on the X website.
Maria Wiktoria Raczyñska was also the Special Representative for Youth and Security of the Polish Presidency of the OSCE.
The visa scandal shocked PiS
On August 31, 2023, Piotr Wawrzyk, who was responsible for consular affairs, including the visa issuance system, was dismissed from the position of Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The reason given was “lack of satisfactory cooperation”. A few days later, then Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki admitted that Wawrzyk’s dismissal was related to the activities of the CBA.
In the following days, the media began to reveal that Polish visas were granted for money and out of line by Polish consular officers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On September 15, 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that “due to ongoing findings regarding irregularities in the visa issuance process”, Jakub Osajda lost his job. According to the media, he was the author of the idea of establishing a visa center in Łódź.
In January this year, Wawrzyk was detained by officers of the Lublin branch of the CBA in an investigation regarding paid protection in connection with the acceleration of visa procedures. After charging him, the prosecutor awarded him PLN 100,000. PLN property guarantee. Wawrzyk pleaded not guilty and refused to explain. The National Prosecutor’s Office informed then that nine people had been charged in the investigation, including Wawrzyk’s associate Edgar Kobos.