Prime Minister Donald Tusk has sacked the head of the Central Statistical Office, Jozef Olenski, after it transpired that over 2 million zloty (500,000 euro) set aside for this year’s national census was paid out as bonuses to a mere handful of employees.

The move comes after revelations at the beginning of the month that over 2.3 million zloty (600,000 euro) spent on preparing the national census in Poland went into the pockets of just 67 employees, according to the Rzeczpospolita daily.

A government statement on Monday evening announced that the deputy head of the statistical agency, Janusz Witkowski would in effect become the acting head of the GUS statistical office today, Tuesday.

Witkowski, who has worked for GUS since the 1990s and is a specialist in demographics and social issues, is an academic tied to the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH).

“He is a competent professional,” GUS spokesman Wieslaw Lagodzinski told the PAP news agency.

Jozef Olenski became head of the GUS statistical office in October 2006, being called to the position by the then PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski. It was his second term as the GUS chairman, as he had previously held the position between 1992-95.

At the time, Olenski was also head of the UN Statistical Commission and deputy head of the Conference of European Statisticians. (jb)

Source: PAP