Polish Prime Minister sees economy in grip of secret services

09 Nov, 2005

Poland must rid its economy of the informal ties that link businesses, politicians and the secret services in order speed up economic growth, Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
The conservative Law and Justice party won September's general elections promising a clean break with the post-communist past, which they said was tainted by corruption and chaotic policies that benefited only elites and brought hardships to millions.
"One has to cut those umbilical cords that link the secret services with the Polish economy, the mafia and politics. Only then we can make sure that the Polish economy will be able to grow faster," Marcinkiewicz told the right-wing Nasz Dziennik daily in an interview.
The conservatives say recent parliamentary probes into the fuels sector have provided ample evidence of dubious ties between politicians, business leaders and the security services.
The party, led by twin brothers Jaroslaw and Lech Kaczynski, has emphasised the need for a radical overhaul of Poland's justice system, police and intelligence services.
"Everyone who knows Jaroslaw Kaczynski knows that there is at least one idea he has been faithful to - protecting reforms of the justice system and the police and ... reining in special services," said Piotr Zaremba in Gazeta Wyborcza daily.
Critics fear the Kaczynskis' preoccupation with the old communist regime could hamper the government's ability to tackle the new political and economic challenges posed by Poland's EU membership.
But Marcinkiewicz said economic success and the overhaul of the intelligence services went hand in hand. "Without breaking up those webs that strangle the state normal development is impossible," he said.

Read Comments