According to the daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita, Deputy Treasury Minister Andrzej Szarawarski has been accused by representatives of the American steel concern US Steel of a bribery attempt in connection with the company’s bid for Poland’s largest steel holding company PHS.

The prosecutor’s office revealed that a consulting company, Invex, had made an offer – reportedly in the name of Szarawarski – to buy PHS’s debt off the market on behalf of US Steel, at the same time asking for a PLN 30mn fee. US Steel and its bank, JP Morgan, considered the offer as a corruption attempt and informed the Polish authorities.

Although Szarawarski denies any connections with Invex, speculations have been fuelled in the Treasury Ministry about his coming dismissal. Former Treasury Minister Wieslaw Kaczmarek confirmed connections between Invex and Szarawarski though. Szarawarkis was also the person who negotiated the investment terms of the USD 3.5mn deal for the purchase of F-16 fighter jets from US aviation company Lockheed Martin.

(IntelliNews 02.vi.03)