Former CEO of Polish Orlen’s payments linked to PM Orbán’s son-in-law
Daniel Obajtek, the former CEO of the Polish company Orlen and recently elected Member of the European Parliament, is receiving payments from a company linked to Viktor Orbán’s son-in-law, István Tiborcz, according to his asset declaration.
Obajtek, who is reportedly hiding in Budapest, allegedly receives a regular income from his interests with Orbán’s son-in-law and other associates of the Hungarian prime minister. This information was revealed through his asset declaration, according to Polish newspaper Wiadomości, Telex reports.
According to his asset declaration, Obajtek receives EUR 15,000 per month from Bayer Construct. This declaration was required due to his new role as an MEP, which necessitates the disclosure of financial resources over the past three years. His monthly salary of EUR 15,000 is notably higher than the approximate EUR 10,000 salary typically received by MEPs.
While no formal charges have been filed against Obajtek, there is potential for charges to arise, especially with the opposition PiS coalition, led by the returning Prime Minister Donald Tusk, supporting Poland’s involvement with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to investigate corruption. The PiS party, which has had conflicts with Brussels similar to those of Orbán over rule of law issues, also blocked some EU funds accessible to Poland following its accession to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The Polish Prosecutor’s Office and the Parliament’s Investigative Committee have made multiple attempts to summon Obajtek, who is not listed at any Polish address, to appear for questioning.
Several claims surround former Orlen CEO’s EU immunity and disappearance
Several newspapers have previously reported that Obajtek was the head of Orlen until February and has personal connections to Orbán. Obajtek, who is affiliated with the Law and Justice (PiS) party and was in opposition during the last elections, won a seat in the European Parliament in June. He has been granted immunity in the EU, although he has not been prosecuted in Poland yet. Authorities have been unable to question him as a witness, despite his photos indicating that he is in Budapest rather than Poland, contrary to his claims.
After being dismissed as CEO of Orlen in February, Obajtek has been rarely seen in Poland. He has consistently denied allegations that he is evading impeachment by seeking immunity in the European Parliament. According to VSquare, he also refutes claims that he fled to Budapest.
Although Obajtek is not currently a prime suspect in his home country, Polish prosecutors wish to question him regarding several matters, including the merger of state-owned energy companies Orlen and Lotos, and the sale of a 30% stake in the Gdańsk refinery to Saudi Aramco. They also seek to discuss Orlen’s substantial deficit caused by significant cuts in fuel prices in the autumn of 2023. This deficit might be linked to a strategy aimed at boosting the popularity of the ruling Law and Justice party with cheaper fuel ahead of the parliamentary elections, as well as a transfer of PLN 1.5 billion.
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Donald Tusk leads the Civic Platform Party within the Civic Coalition which together with some other parties form a majority governing coalition in the Polish parliament. PiS was the former governing party and is now the opposition. It’s no surprise that a member of the extreme right PiS party is involved in some form of corrupt pay off scheme through Orban’s close circle. Poland really was on the edge of a point of no return with a corrupt autocracy under PiS that controlled media and stacked the courts with party apparatchiks just like in Hungary but they managed to vote PiS out. Hopefully Hungary will manage the same feat in 2026.
So, nobody in the whole story actually did anything wrong, legally or ethically. The definition of a “nothing burger.”
But hey, It can somehow be tied to Orban so let’s blow it up!
Follow the money…. What are the chances?
Conflicts of interest and ethics are not things Politicians are very big on, just an observation.