A Catholic priest and two soldiers are among five people detained by military police in Poland for trading in false COVID-19 vaccination certificates. They are accused of charging around 100 people between 100 and 1,000 zloty (€22 to €221) for fake documents, and could face prison sentences of one to 10 years.
The news of the arrest of the priest – who can only be named as Łukasz Sz. under Polish privacy law – was first reported yesterday morning by Polonia Christiana, a Catholic magazine, and later confirmed by prosecutors in Poznań, reports the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
A spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, Łukasz Wawrzyniak, said that Łukasz Sz. is accused of acting as an intermediary in obtaining the fake documents. “He cooperated with a nurse who issued certificates of vaccination against COVID-19,” said Wawrzyniak.
The spokesman added that the priest received between 100 and 200 zloty (€22-44) from six people whose certificates he facilitated. He has been charged with fraud, false statements to obtain financial benefits, and accepting financial benefits in connection with the performance of a public function for illegal behaviour.
The two detained soldiers are accused of acting as intermediaries in the transfer of money and data from people seeking fake certificates. Preliminary findings indicate that the group helped around 100 people, charging them between 100 and 1,000 zloty each, reports Interia. Unused vaccines were then destroyed.
The five suspects face sentences between one and 10 years if found guilty. Four, including Łukasz Sz., have been placed in pretrial detention while the other, one of the soldiers, has been released after providing financial guarantees and being forbidden from contacting the other suspects.
After news of the priest’s arrest emerged – but before prosecutors had given further details – he was defended by an MP from the national-conservative ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party’s parliamentary caucus. Anna Maria Siarkowska tweeted that she was “doubtful” about the claims.
Siarkowska – whose vocal opposition to proposed Covid vaccine requirements have led her to clash with the PiS leadership – added that “everyone is focusing on the forgery of Covid certificates, but no one mentions violating the law in relation to requirements to present them at work”.
Opposition by her and a handful of other MPs from the PiS caucus has delayed the government’s plans to introduce legislation allowing employers to check the vaccination status of their staff.
Wszyscy koncentrują się na łamaniu prawa związanego z fałszowaniem certyfikatów covidowych a nikt nie wspomina o łamaniu prawa związanego z wymaganiem ich okazywania w pracy, chociażby w wojsku.#StopSegregacjiSanitarnej #StopSS
— Anna Maria Siarkowska #BabiesLivesMatter (@AnnaSiarkowska) January 17, 2022
Main image credit: European Commission
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
