Expert institute to be set up to help tackle Polish economic crime

The Justice Ministry is failing to catch and punish economic crimes, as the investigations take a long time and courts find it difficult to understand the evidence
The Justice Ministry is failing to catch and punish economic crimes, as the investigations take a long time and courts find it difficult to understand the evidence.

The Ministry is planning to change the situation by establishing an Institute of Economic-Financial Expertise (IEE-F), which should employ the best experts for finances, the bourse and the economy. The Institute would give analytical and expert support for prosecutors and courts from all over the country.

"The intentions of the minister are noble, but I do not know whether such an institute, which will be run by the Justice Ministry, will turn out to be impartial. Especially as, so far, the functions of the general prosecutor and the justice minister have not yet been separated," said Jacek Socha, the former chairman of the Financial Supervision Commission (KNF) and a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Robert Gwiazdowski, an expert at Adam Smith Center, added, "I do not think this is the best idea. I do not believe that the salaries at the Institute would be attractive enough to tempt market specialists. Moreover, I do not believe that an employee of the Institute who would be a subordinate of the general prosecutor can remain independent."

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