Will the case for Obajtek's immunity start immediately? EP official: I don't think so

The European Parliament had already agreed to waive the immunity of the former president of Orlen in three cases, e.g. the issue of surveillance of the opposition.

The procedure for waiving immunity in the European Parliament is multi-stage. It starts when EP President Roberta Metsola announces the proposal in plenary, usually on the first day.

However, RMF FM's interlocutor in the European Parliament does not think that this will happen next Monday, when the session begins.

After the announcement, the matter is dealt with by the Legal Affairs Committee, which listens to the MEP's arguments and prepares a report with recommendations. The final decision on the waiver of immunity is taken by the entire Parliament by vote.

Each application is considered separately, and the MEP has the right to defend himself. In the case of Daniel Obajtek, previous procedures show that you can wait many months for a decision.

Why should the European Parliament lift Daniel Obajtek's immunity?

Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek announced on Thursday that he had submitted a request to the European Parliament to waive the immunity and detain Daniel Obajtek in connection with the case regarding the lowering of fuel prices in 2023.

According to the prosecutor's office, the collected material shows that Obajtek, as the president of Orlen, ordered his subordinate employees to reduce wholesale and retail prices so that from October 1 to 15, 2023, a liter of fuel at stations costs a maximum of PLN 5.99. "He did this contrary to applicable procedures and the production, supply, balance sheet and logistics situation of the concern, and despite the growing problems and losses, he personally monitored the action and issued ongoing orders to maintain low rates," Żurek said.

The Prosecutor General reported that a side effect of this action was the lack of fuel at over 600 stations and cards with information about broken pumps. "In this way, he caused damage to Orlen exceeding PLN 4.1 billion. We are talking about a large-scale crime of mismanagement, punishable by up to 25 years' imprisonment," noted the Minister of Justice.

The consent of the European Parliament is necessary to bring charges against the former president of Orlen.

Obajtek: If they want to detain me, it will be on condition that Donald Tusk is also in the cell

Daniel Obajtek, commenting on the case, said via the X platform that if they wanted to "detain him for the fact that Poles filled their tanks for less than PLN 6, then you are welcome", provided - as he added - that "(Prime Minister) Donald Tusk will also be in the cell."

In the politician's opinion, this should be the case because - as he claims - Tusk "promised fuel for PLN 5.19, and already as prime minister he said that State Treasury companies should not make money, but should take care of the well-being of Poles."

The investigation into the case of lowering fuel prices in 2023 is supervised by the Łódź branch of the State Railways. At the beginning of October, five former and current Orlen managers were charged on suspicion of lowering fuel prices.