Stories from Warsaw · Poland

Police in Poland used dogs to detect approximately 3,600 packages of tobacco products. Officers inspected heavy vehicles at a clearance square and discovered cigarettes and tobacco inserts lacking Polish excise stamps.

An Ibris poll for Radio Zet indicates nearly seven in 10 Poles support introducing penalties for patients who fail to attend scheduled specialist appointments.

Central Bureau of Investigation agents detained three people in connection with a coal procurement scandal. The Mateusz Morawiecki government commissioned the company to purchase coal in 2022 and 2023 for sale to households at preferential prices. However, the coal reportedly failed to meet energy standards and was purchased at inflated prices. Bartosz Mielniczek of the Jagiellonian Club noted that political interests may hinder effective resolution. Investigators allege that a representative for the president of RARS conspired with businessmen to purchase $116 million worth of coal that failed to meet quality criteria. All suspects are currently under police supervision and are prohibited from leaving the country. The suspects include Michał Makowski. Drivers are conducting demonstrations to simulate the impact on daily transit. Police are currently managing traffic at the protest site.

The chairman of the Centrum parliamentary club declared that his club will always vote in the interest of the coalition and defend its ministers. The statement was made during a discussion on Radio Zet regarding the political landscape in Poland.

Prosecutors have dismissed allegations of agent-based cooperation involving the leadership of the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW). Investigators have determined that espionage allegations against the leadership of military counterintelligence were unfounded.

Marek Savicki, senior marshal and vice-chairman, stated that the healthcare system currently faces a 17 billion zloty funding gap. The government has provided 24 billion zloty in subsidies, but a deficit remains at this stage.

Holders of housing savings books established before October 24, 1990, may be eligible to reclaim funds including a guarantee premium. The average value of this guarantee premium was nearly 21,500 PLN last year.

Polish cryptocurrency platform Zonda Crypto has seen its reserves shrink by 99 percent. The company initially attributed withdrawal issues to technical problems, but it is reportedly losing financial liquidity. Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the matter.

The prisoner Poczobód was not released during a recent prisoner exchange, despite previous expectations that he would be included. The source noted that last year Warsaw made a gesture toward Belarus by opening two border crossings, including one closed in 2023 due to Poczobód.

The cryptocurrency exchange Zonda Krypto has failed to pay promised token rewards to Polish Olympians. Kral has held Israeli citizenship since applying for it last year. The move follows a politically motivated attack on his stock exchange. Approximately 950,000 PLN in token rewards for three winter Olympic medalists from the Milan games remain unpaid. The recipients include ski jumpers Kacper Tomasiak and Paweł Wąska, and luger Władimir Semirunja. The company responsible for the payout, Zonda Krypto, has reportedly failed to settle the debt after its president fled to Israel. Ski jumpers Kacper Tomasiak and Paweł Wąsek, along with cyclist Władimir Semiruni, have not received prize money promised in tokens by Zonda Krypto. A spokesperson for PKO stated that funds for the payouts are unavailable.