Between influence peddling and bribery, PiS, the ruling party in Poland, finds itself in a delicate situation. Yet fiercely anti-immigration, he would have facilitated the granting of visas to thousands of refugees in exchange for money. A scandal which could have consequences, one month before the parliamentary elections.
2 mins
With our correspondent in Warsaw, Martin Chabal
Journalists who conducted the investigation say the Foreign Ministry asked consulates to issue visas, quickly and often without verification, to certain people.
The Onet information site highlights in particular the case of Indian immigrants who posed as a Bollywood film crew and who obtained multiple entry Schengen visas thanks to the intervention of the ministry, in exchange for a sum of money which would be around 10,000 euros.
Their goal was to reach the United States and it was when they were arrested at the Mexican border that the United States intelligence services alerted Poland, which for its part denies having issued visas and participated in a visa allocation system.
Faintness
A scandal which puts the very conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) in a delicate position one month before the parliamentary elections. For eight years, the ruling party has spoken very strongly against immigration. And in this electoral campaign, the PiS does not hesitate to scare voters with the opposition which would allow migrants to enter the territory without limits if it comes to power. Enough to cause a slight discomfort.
Another problem for the PiS: it organizes a referendum to reject the new migration pact proposed by the European Union. A more difficult position to maintain, as the party would therefore help certain migrants to obtain Schengen visas in exchange for money.
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