Polish state oil giant CEO denies corruption claims and submits to official asset investigation

Daniel Obajtek, a government ally whose rapid rise to become head of state oil giant Orlen has seen him touted as a potential future prime minister, has requested an audit of his assets by the Central Anticorruption Bureau (CBA).

Obajtek – who has led Orlen since 2018 – is bidding to clear his name after his business dealings and property holdings became the focus of accusations of cronyism and graft made by opposition politicians and media in recent weeks.

In a series of press scoops, Obajtek has been accused of using undeclared earnings to purchase real estate, of nepotistic appointments of family and former colleagues, and of perjuring himself over dealings with a company while in public office.

However, Obajtek and his supporters, some of them in the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, deny any wrongdoing by him and suggest that the claims are politically motivated.

In the space of three years between 2015, when PiS returned to power, and 2018, Obajtek went from serving as the mayor of the small rural community of Pcim in southern Poland to being CEO of Poland’s biggest oil refiner and the country’s largest company by revenue.

Seen as a political protégé of former prime minister Beata Szydło, Obajtek was himself recently rumoured to be a leading candidate to replace the current premier, Mateusz Morawiecki.

During his time at Orlen, Obajtek has overseen a series of large and controversial acquisitions, including a planned merger with fellow state-owned energy companies PGNiG and Lotos.

Earlier this month, Orlen completed the purchase of hundreds of local newspapers and websites. Critics say the move is intended to give the government greater influence over the media, but Obajtek insists it is a business decision.

Over the last few weeks, Obajtek has, however, found himself at the centre of accusations of wrongdoing in his business dealings.

The relevations began with the publication of the so-called “Obajtek tapes” on 26 February by Gazeta Wyborcza, a newspaper critical of the government. The paper alleges that in 2009, when Obajtek was mayor of Pcim, he gave direct business instructions to private company TT Plast.

Obajtek later denied business dealings with the company in court in 2014. According to the newspaper, this amounts to perjury, a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to eight years.

Gazeta Wyborcza also traced Obajtek’s family and friends who rose to managerial positions in government and state-owned firms. The list included Zofia Paryły, a former colleague of Obajtek who, until three years ago, was working as a local accountant in Pcim, but last year became president of the Grupa Lotos oil company, which Orlen is in the process of taking over.

In the latest revelations, published today by investigative news website OKO.press, it is claimed that Szydło’s son – who until 2019 served as a priest – is now working for a plastics firm in which Obajtek and his mother are shareholders. Szydło’s son is reportedly working there under an assumed name.

In a further wave of publications, information emerged about numerous properties allegedly owned by Obajtek and his family, which they are accused of purchasing with undisclosed sources of income and which were reportedly of value beyond the family’s apparent means at the time of purchase.

On Sunday, Gazeta Wyborcza claimed that Obajtek, when buying an apartment in Warsaw in 2018, was given a 900,000 zloty (€195,000) discount – around half of its market price – by the developer, Profbud Group. Afterwards, Orlen became a key sponsor of the Profbud Krosno Football Academy.

However, Orlen quickly released a statement saying that the newspaper’s story contained “manipulations and lies”. Profbud also sent a statement to the Polish Press Agency (PAP) suggesting that the reported price paid by Obajtek for the apartment was not at a preferential rate.

With accusations mounting – and opposition politicians calling for action to be taken – Obajtek yesterday announced that he was himself asking the Central Anticorruption Bureau (CBA) to “verify my finances”.

He said that the accusations against him are “absurd”. “I have the right to make money, I have the right to invest, I have the right to buy,” Obajtek told state-broadcaster Polskie Radio on Monday. His attorney promised that the audit would “dispel all doubts as to his person and property”.

Obajtek also noted that he had been “constantly monitored” by state authorities during his time in various offices. Previous CBA investigations into his property in 2012 and 2018 reportedly found no irregularities.

Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, also came to Obajtek’s defence, calling the claims against him “calumnies” and saying that “the president of Orlen has been successful in the energy sector, [so] no wonder he has rubbed somebody up the wrong way”.

Media reports have, however, suggested that the scandals have been useful to Morawiecki, by sidelining a potential competitor for his job. Some senior politicians have suggested that the prime minister may have himself planted the stories, reports Deutsche Welle.

Jacek Karnowski, the editor-in-chief of PiS-linked weekly Sieci, claimed in a column today that Obajtek is the victim of a “coordinated campaign” in which he is being “attacked by someone very powerful” as part of a “high-stakes game”.

Meanwhile, the string of accusations against Obajtek have sparked numerous memes, and earnt him the nickname of “Don Orleone”. Leading satirical cartoonist Andrzej Milewski responded to the story by producing a mock-up of an “Obajtkopoly” board, featuring his alleged properties and including a “Do not go to jail” square.

 Main image credit: Szczecinianka00/Wikimedia Commons (under CC BY-SA 4.0)

Maria Wilczek

Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.