Poland Arrests Corrupt Military Officers
The Polish Armed Forces have struggled with internal problems for a some time. Most recently the Central Anticorruption Bureau and the Military Police have arrested 9 people, including a battalion commander, accused of corruption, paid protection, the unlawful reveal of restricted information, and other economic crimes.
The first arrests took occurred at the end of March with the Central Anticorruption Bureau arresting a group of five businessmen, a former soldier, and an active officer who participated in equipment procurement and tenders at the Land Forces Academy in Wroclaw for food products, electronic devices, and other military-used equipment. According to the information provided by Gazeta Wrocławska, the servicemen did not receive payments in cash. Instead, they were rewarded with gifts and other items, such as… toasters. The sum of all suspicious tenders under the Central Anticorruption Bureau investigation exceeds £2.5 million.
The second arrest took place at the headquarters of the 6th Command Battalion, part of the 6th Airborne Brigade, where its commander was arrested. He was accused of receiving the equivalent of $4,000 in cash for signing two enlisted men into the unit. The commander of the 6th Command Battalion is also accused of the misuse of service vehicles for his private needs and obtaining material gains. Besides him, a non-commissioned officer was also arrested and accused of brokering the bribe between the commander and the enlisted men but also of illegal drugs possession.
The Ministry of the National Defense has not yet commented on the arrests and charges of corruption at the Land Forces Academy and the 6th Command Battalion. Both cases are under investigation by the
Central Anticorruption Bureau and public prosecution offices in Poznan and Krakow. For the time being, all arrested servicemen remain in police custody for a duration of 3 months until the beginning of their trials.