CENTRAL ANTI-CORRUPTION BUREAU Tender rigging at universities - News

Officers from the Regional Office of the CBA in Poznań detained three men in the Lubuskie, Wielkopolskie, and Mazowieckie provinces on suspicion of involvement in a corruption scheme consisting of influencing the results of public tenders. During the arrests, extensive evidence was secured, including financial and accounting records, tender documentation, and electronic devices.

Financial Benefit and Fake Invoices

Officers from the Regional Office of the CBA in Poznań are conducting preparatory proceedings concerning unlawful influence over the outcomes of tenders for IT services, announced, among others, by a higher education institution in the Lubuskie province.

One of the detainees, the CEO of an IT company, granted a financial benefit of nearly PLN 200,000 to a university employee who had also been detained by CBA officers. The men agreed between themselves on parts of the tender specification, effectively excluding other companies from participating in the procedure. Influencing the outcome of a tender worth over PLN 1 million constituted an act detrimental to a public institution. The financial benefit was transferred to the university employee’s account through invoices certifying untrue services, the primary purpose of which was to conceal the criminal origin of the transferred funds.

The detained CEO also conspired with other identified individuals to exert unlawful influence over tenders announced by two other universities. The total value of these tenders exceeded PLN 11 million. The illegal scheme followed a pattern similar to that used in the case of the university in the Lubuskie province.

The third detained individual, the CEO of two companies and a sole trader, participated in transferring funds to the university employee’s account, which were intended to constitute a financial benefit. The illegal practice involved issuing invoices certifying services that were not actually performed.

Charges and Preventive Measures

The detainees were transported to the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Poznań, where they were formally charged.

With regard to one of the suspects, the prosecutor filed a motion with the court to impose a preventive measure in the form of pre-trial detention for a period of three months. The court granted the prosecutor’s motion.

For the remaining two suspects, the prosecutor imposed non-custodial preventive measures in the form of police supervision, bail, and a ban on contact with the other suspects. Furthermore, the university employee was suspended from his duties by the prosecutor.

The case is ongoing and remains under development

This is the second operational action carried out within the ongoing preparatory proceedings. So far, five individuals have been charged in the case. The investigation remains ongoing.

CBA Press Team