Orlengate

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Orlengate (Polish: Afera Orlenu) was one of the biggest political scandals in modern Polish history. Disclosed in 2004, the scandal began with the arrest of Andrzej Modrzejewski, former CEO of PKN Orlen, on 7 February 2002 by the Office of State Protection (UOP). In 2004, Sejm initiated an investigatory committee to investigate the scandal.^[1]

Modrzejewski was arrested as per the order of the attorney general's office.^[2] The arrest was a source of controversy from the beginning^{[among whom?]}, carried out on the eve of a board of directors meeting. Two hours before the meeting, Modrzejewki was released and the board removed him from his position.^[2]

Former Treasury Minister Wiesław Kaczmarek stated in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza that the real purpose of the arrest was to provoke Modrzejewki's dismissal and to block the signing of a contract for oil worth 14 billion USD.^[3] According to this interview, the decision to arrest Modrzejewski was taken during an unofficial meeting of the Prime Minister's cabinet with Leszek Miller, Minister of Justice Barbara Piwnik and Chief of the UOP, Zbigniew Siemiątkowski. Kaczmarek, who also participated, disclosed the purpose of the meeting to avoid possible future accusations of misconduct during his term as Treasury Minister.

For their part in the scandal, Ryszard Bieszyński and Zbigniew Siemiątkowski were arrested in 2012 and 2013 respectively.^[2][4]