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Spending spree by previous government in "interregnum"?

15.02.2024 21:20
In the two months following the October 15 election when Prime Minister Morawiecki was "looking for coalition partners" his coalition spent tax-payers' money "compulsively" according to the new culture minister. 
Minister of Culture Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz.
Minister of Culture Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka

In the general election of October 15 2023, Law and Justice received the largest number of seats among the parties, but were unable to form a coalition. Law and Justice supporters felt that it was right that President Duda offer their party the first chance to form a government while critics suspected that the "interim government" was merely an opportunity to award government contracts and grants to affiliated organisations and to hide evidence of misdeeds. 

Today, the Minister of Culture Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz has said that Morawiecki and ministers managed to spend 175 million PLN in the period from October 15 to 13 December (when Tusk's government took over). He claims this is a figure 100 million higher than for the same period in 2022. 

The minister's language of "pseudo-government", "compulsive spending" on "flagship Law-and-Justice-affiliated organisations", "spending spree" strongly suggested wrongdoing and Sienkiewicz said that an investigation was required. 

Sources: PAP, gazeta.pl, rp.pl

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