Speaking before a Wednesday Cabinet meeting, Tusk addressed a vote scheduled for Friday in the Sejm, Poland's lower house of parliament, on Nawrocki's veto of the cryptocurrency legislation. A vote to override the veto is effectively a vote to re-pass the law; if approved, the president would then be required to sign it.
"On Friday we have a chance to make a decision that would allow the law to take effect — that chance is real", Tusk said.
He appealed to opposition lawmakers and to Nawrocki to reconsider their opposition to the bill, arguing that its passage would "greatly hinder" the financing of terrorist activities directed at Poland.
Tusk said the "overwhelming majority" of terrorist operations, including acts of sabotage and arson identified by Polish authorities, rely on cryptocurrency.
"There was no doubt that the method of payment, of hiring the attackers, was based on cryptocurrencies. For obvious reasons — because the lack of regulation, the lack of laws, means this market can be exploited with complete impunity, without any oversight," Tusk said, adding that Russia uses cryptocurrency as its "main, almost sole" mechanism for financing such operations.
"I am appealing once again: we must pass this law on Friday, also in order to make it harder for Russia to operate on our territory", he said.
Tusk noted that when the bill was being drafted, the government consulted Poland's intelligence services, which he said were unequivocal in their assessment.
"During those consultations, the services' opinion was clear: this law is necessary to hinder the financing mechanisms behind terrorist acts and other criminal activity", Tusk said.
(jh)
Source: PAP