Prime Minister Donald Tusk was grilled for 13 hours yesterday by the special parliamentary commission looking into whether government politicians lobbied on behalf of the betting industry.
Given blanket coverage on TV, radio and internet the commission is a response to resignations and sackings from the government in the wake of accusations made by the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau that ministers tries to affect the content of a draft gambling law which would have increased taxation for the betting industry. Mass resignations from the cabinet followed the accusations, with sports minister Miroslaw Dzewiecki and head of Civic Platform in parliament Zbigniew Chlebowski being two of the casualties.
After he emerged from the commission Thursday evening, PM Tusk thought the session had gone well.
“I do not think I was in any way vicitmised by the commission. Some of the questions were somewhat tiring but then this is an investigative commission, so I have no complaints.”
According to most observers, Thursday questioning did not shed any more light on what come to be known as the Blackjack Affair but it has strengthened the image of the PM. Political analyst Wojciech Jablonski told Polskie Radio: “‘He was strong due to the commissions' weakness. For so many hours so many questions and they did not really learn anything.”
Today the commission is hearing evidence from former PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski. (ab/pg)