Poland declares war on army corruptionPublished: Saturday, 1 July, 2006, 12:38 PM Doha Time
WARSAW: Polish Defence Minister Radoslaw Sikorski declared war yesterday on corruption in the army, where shady practices extend even to the selection of soldiers for dangerous but lucrative missions in Iraq.
Astonished at the level of graft he has unearthed since his appointment eight months ago, Sikorski vowed to root out practices such as the sale of diplomas to soldiers bound for missions abroad that “prove” they speak English.
“I’m sending out a warning. The era of leniency is gone. While I’m in this post, there will be no tolerance for those who break the law or tarnish the honour of Polish officers,” Sikorski told a news conference.
The defence minister said that several dozen corruption probes were underway in the armed forces, “one of which concerns a general”.
One of the many ways Polish soldiers have invented to manipulate the system concerns the way troops are chosen for foreign missions, particularly in Iraq.
“In order to go to Iraq without waiting on a list of applicants, at least 14 soldiers paid bribes to officials in charge of recruitment for the missions,” General Boguslaw Pacek, the head of Polish military police, told the news conference.
Poles serving in Iraq earn on average $1,200 a month – about double the average Polish salary – on top of their basic wage of $255.
Poland currently has 2,200 soldiers serving in missions abroad, particularly in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sikorski also condemned irregularities in awarding soldiers diplomas that attest to their level of English. Soldiers need such diplomas to serve abroad.
“I’ve found that the real knowledge of English by certain soldiers does not correspond to the level attributed to them by their language proficiency diploma,” the minister said. “This is a fundamental problem with security implications,” he added.
“An officer serving abroad has to co-operate with American and British soldiers and other nationalities, has to understand orders in English and give orders in a comprehensible way so as not to endanger the lives and safety of his men.”
While some were happy to pay to go to Iraq, other young men were prepared to shell out to avoid having to perform compulsory military service, said military police chief Pacek.
Officials in charge of conscription have accepted bribes of 1,000 euros, he added.
The clampdown announced by the defence minister aims to target corruption at all levels and to stamp out dishonest practices in the choice of suppliers of equipment, fuel and services to the army. – AFP Link
WARSAW: Polish Defence Minister Radoslaw Sikorski declared war yesterday on corruption in the army, where shady practices extend even to the selection of soldiers for dangerous but lucrative missions in Iraq.
Astonished at the level of graft he has unearthed since his appointment eight months ago, Sikorski vowed to root out practices such as the sale of diplomas to soldiers bound for missions abroad that “prove” they speak English.
“I’m sending out a warning. The era of leniency is gone. While I’m in this post, there will be no tolerance for those who break the law or tarnish the honour of Polish officers,” Sikorski told a news conference.
The defence minister said that several dozen corruption probes were underway in the armed forces, “one of which concerns a general”.
One of the many ways Polish soldiers have invented to manipulate the system concerns the way troops are chosen for foreign missions, particularly in Iraq.
“In order to go to Iraq without waiting on a list of applicants, at least 14 soldiers paid bribes to officials in charge of recruitment for the missions,” General Boguslaw Pacek, the head of Polish military police, told the news conference.
Poles serving in Iraq earn on average $1,200 a month – about double the average Polish salary – on top of their basic wage of $255.
Poland currently has 2,200 soldiers serving in missions abroad, particularly in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sikorski also condemned irregularities in awarding soldiers diplomas that attest to their level of English. Soldiers need such diplomas to serve abroad.
“I’ve found that the real knowledge of English by certain soldiers does not correspond to the level attributed to them by their language proficiency diploma,” the minister said. “This is a fundamental problem with security implications,” he added.
“An officer serving abroad has to co-operate with American and British soldiers and other nationalities, has to understand orders in English and give orders in a comprehensible way so as not to endanger the lives and safety of his men.”
While some were happy to pay to go to Iraq, other young men were prepared to shell out to avoid having to perform compulsory military service, said military police chief Pacek.
Officials in charge of conscription have accepted bribes of 1,000 euros, he added.
The clampdown announced by the defence minister aims to target corruption at all levels and to stamp out dishonest practices in the choice of suppliers of equipment, fuel and services to the army. – AFP Link
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