Poland’s National Revenue Administration (KAS) has reported the discovery of irregularities in the spending of public funds amounting to more than PLN 120 billion. A total of 263 notifications of possible criminal offences have been sent to the prosecutor’s office, covering a combined sum of over PLN 106 billion.
According to KAS, the audit covered 191 entities. These included 17 ministries, 78 foundations, 29 associations, eight state legal entities, nine customs offices and authorities, three executive agencies, and five special-purpose companies.
In addition, 133 notifications of possible breaches of public finance discipline were submitted to the Spokesperson for Public Finance Discipline.
The identified irregularities concerned, in particular:
- rules for granting and settling subsidies and other forms of public aid;
- spending funds contrary to financial plans or designated purposes;
- economically unjustified creation of public institutions and entities “for specific needs”;
- use of budget reserves in violation of the applicable conditions;
- actions without a legal basis or the creation of regulations for predetermined purposes;
- uneconomical spending of public funds;
- failure to safeguard the interests of the State Treasury.
The audits primarily covered the period 2020–2023. Earlier, Minister of Finance and Economy Andrzej Domański noted that the total value of the identified irregularities amounted to approximately 3% of Poland’s GDP and exceeded half of the country’s annual spending on security.
KAS emphasises that the notifications reflect suspicions and do not prejudge the criminal liability of any individuals or organisations. The checks continue within the framework of the administration’s powers to oversee the spending of public funds.
