The farmland, located in the village of Zabłotnia near Warsaw, lies along the planned route of a high-speed rail line leading to Poland’s flagship Central Transport Hub (CPK) - one of the country’s largest postwar infrastructure projects.
Henryk Smolarz, head of the National Agricultural Support Center (KOWR), announced on Wednesday that the agency had sent a formal request to the current owner, Piotr Wielgomas, deputy CEO of the food company Dawtona, asking for permission to repurchase the land.
“Following the owner’s declaration that KOWR can exercise its right to repurchase at any time, I instructed my staff to make contact. Today, a formal letter was sent to the current owner asking whether he consents to the repurchase,” Smolarz said during a press conference.
He added that the agency had also received a request from the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office to hand over documentation related to the sale.
“There are many issues to clarify. I believe the relevant authorities will act efficiently. On behalf of KOWR, I declare full cooperation. We are financially ready to repurchase the land if the necessary conditions are met - and it can be done very quickly,” Smolarz said.
Land deal under PiS government faces scrutiny
The 160-hectare plot, previously owned by KOWR, was sold for 22.8 million złoty (€5.3 million) to Dawtona in December 2023, just twelve days before the PiS government left office. The company had previously leased the land for agricultural use.
According to the Polish news outlet Wirtualna Polska, officials from the then Ministry of Agriculture - headed by Robert Telus - approved the transaction despite opposition from the Central Transport Hub company, which sought to block the sale.
The land’s value is now expected to soar, potentially reaching up to 400 million złoty (€94 million), as it sits directly on the planned route of the high-speed railway linking Warsaw with the future CPK airport and logistics complex.
The case has triggered a political scandal and forms part of a broader investigation into the actions of PiS-appointed officials in the final weeks of their administration.
The Warsaw prosecutor’s office is examining whether the sale involved corruption, abuse of office, or deliberate attempts to transfer strategic state property into private hands ahead of the change of government.
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Source: Radio Poland/IAR/KOWR/TVN24/WP.PL/PAP