Sunday, February 10, 2008

Polish mafia gas supply scandal

A contract for gas supply signed by Poland in 2003 has become a new pretext for further arguments between the Civic Platform (PO) and Law and Justice (PiS), Polish Radio reports.

The latest disagreement between the largest opposition party and government stems from a TV programme broadcast by the private TVN channel on Tuesday night, revealing that in 2003, when the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) government was in power, Poland signed a contract for gas supply with a Hungarian company Eural-Trans-Gaz.

The company was managed by a henchmen of a Russian mafioso Semion Mogilevich who is believed to have controlled the largest Russian mafia syndicate in the world and who was arrested end of January.

As a result, PiS has requested PM Donald Tusk to provide information on the status of Poland’s energy security.

Former deputy minister of economy Paweł Poncyljusz (PiS) reminded that the contract with Eural-Trans-Gazem has been previously mentioned in the press in the context of the company’s alleged links with the Russian mafia.

In the opinion of PiS MPs, public opinion should be informed if the Internal Security Agency (ABW) informed the government about the press allegations.

Paweł Poncyljusz has also reminded that the US ambassador to Kiev, Ukraine sent an official letter on the subject of Mogilevich and Eural-Trans-Gaz to Warsaw in the past.
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