Agencja Gazeta

The “Gambling Commission,” a special body created in the Sejm earlier this month, has officially launched its investigation into the lobbying scandal which rocked the ruling Civic Platform (PO) party in September. Unsurprisingly, the commission kicked off its work amid considerable controversy and political bickering.

Its first working meeting, which took place last Thursday, brought no progress concerning the list of witnesses to be called or the schedule of hearings. The question of how exactly the commission should prioritize its investigation was also left unanswered.

Partisan tension marked the commission’s first sitting as a PO politician submitted a motion to reduce the number of vice chairmen from two to one. As a result, opposition MP Zbigniew Wasserman (Law and Justice), who was expected to hold the position, was instead blocked.

The opposition had been demanding the establishment of an investigative commission since the scandal came to light and the involvement of leading PO politicians became evident. The way in which the ruling party has responded to these calls, however, has only incited further accusations from opposition politicians that the government just wants to sweep its involvement in the gambling scandal under the rug.

The fact that PO politician Mirosław Sekuła has been appointed chairman of the commission, despite vehement protests from the opposition, will not lend credence to claims of objectivity. Moreover, the group will investigate the history of legislative efforts regarding gambling regulations all the way back to 2002, a period of time which includes the terms of other governments – Law and Justice (2005-2007) and the Democratic Left Alliance (2001-2005). The opposition had wanted the commission to focus exclusively on the last two years, covering the present government’s term in office.