Former MP and former PiS spokesman Adam Hofman allegedly submitted corruption offers to businessman Leszek Czarnecki, Gazeta Wyborcza reported on Sunday. Earlier, attorney Roman Giertych, of which Czarnecki is a client, stated that the businessman had two offers, and one of them was to hire the former president of Pekao SA, Michał Krupiński. In response to the reports of “GW”, Hofman wrote in social media that he did not formulate “any offer that would be corrupt”. Giertych then published a recording – as he claims – of a conversation about the employment of Krupiński by Czarnecki, in which Hofman was to participate.
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On Saturday, the patron Roman Giertych described in social media, inter alia, two situations in which corruption proposals were to be submitted to his client, Leszek Czarnecki, the owner of Idea Bank. As he wrote, in the summer of this year abroad, “there was an offer of employment to the Czarnecki banks (as an advisor or member of the supervisory board) of Mr. Michał Krupiński – a long-term president of Pekao SA – a person closely related to the current government”. According to Giertych, the offer was made by “a former PiS politician who maintained close personal relations with the Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki”, and “he was accompanied by another person closely related to PiS”.
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The lawyer claims that it was another offer, because – as he wrote – two months earlier Czarnecki “was presented with the concept of participation in the project to buy TVN24”. “It was claimed that the idea of taking over TVN24 was agreed with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki during his private meeting with the person who later presented the offer to Czarnecki,” Giertych said in a statement.
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The lawyer further wrote that “after the possible takeover of the station,” Czarnecki was offered advertisements from State Treasury companies, “and after some time the stations were purchased by State Treasury companies for an amount many times higher than the purchase price”. Giertych said Leszek Czarnecki did not accept the offer.
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The company itself said: “Discovery was not aware of any plans for TVN24 described by Roman Giertych, nor participated in talks regarding the sale of the station.”
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“GW”: Adam Hofman was to submit proposals
“Gazeta Wyborcza” wrote on Sunday on its website that it had established that the person who was to submit the proposals to Czarnecki was Adam Hofman, a former PiS MP and former spokesman for this party.
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“GW” quotes the words of her informant who knows the backstage of the case: “Hofman said that he was coming on behalf of (Zbigniew) Ziobro. He explained that Michał Krupiński is in good relations with the Minister of Justice [Krupiński od lat blisko przyjaźni się z bratem Ziobry Witoldem, a dzięki ziobrystom był m.in. prezesem Pekao SA]. In return for a job for Krupiński, Hofman promised to ease the rate against Czarnecki’s banks. “
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Leszek Czarnecki, the owner of Idea Bank, has the status of a suspect in the investigation of the so-called GetBack scandal.
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SEE THE CALENDAR: What is the GetBack scandal about? >>>
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Meeting in Monaco
The informant claims – according to the newspaper – that “Czarnecki’s meeting with Hofman took place this summer in Monaco, where the banker has an estate”, and “the conversation was to be recorded”.
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Mr. Giertych, when asked by “GW” about Hofman’s name, declined to comment. Hofman, the newspaper wrote, did not answer her questions on the matter.
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However, the former PiS politician posted an entry in social media: “In view of what Gazeta Wyborcza has published, I firmly declare that I did not refer to any contacts or contacts in the government administration, and in particular I did not introduce myself as its ‘envoy’.”
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“I have never formulated any offer for this (or any other) businessman that would be corrupt, even in the broadest sense of the term ‘corruption’. For several years, I am no longer a politician, but I run a business where I am always guided by the principles of business responsibility and reliable and careful operation “- he added.
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“GW” assessed that Hofman did not answer her “specific questions” in this post. She added that she learned unofficially that “some time ago Czarnecki hired Hofman as a PR specialist”.
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The newspaper reported that Michał Krupiński did not answer her questions.
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Giertych “calendar of events”
Late on Sunday afternoon, Roman Giertych published another entry in the social media referring to this issue and the text of “Wyborcza”.
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“Today, the main ‘hero’, Mr. Adam Hofman publicly denied the reports of Gazeta Wyborcza that he was behind the offers submitted to Dr. Leszek Czarnecki. You will be able to verify the truth of this denial yourself” – wrote the lawyer and presented – as he put it – the “calendar of events”.
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‘In June, Adam Hofman and other people propose Leszek Czarnecki to participate in the operation of taking over control of TVN24 by State Treasury companies. Leszek Czarnecki flatly refuses. “- we read. At the beginning of August – continues Giertych – the prosecutor’s office received an application for arrest for Czarnecki. In September – as lawyer writes – Czarnecki handed over the case to him.
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According to Giertych, Adam Hofman was to contact Leszek Czarnecki on September 14, “proposing his arrival with an important matter”. “The meeting takes place on September 15. At the meeting, Adam Hofman and his associate (name for the Investigative Committee) propose formal or informal employment of Michał Krupiński. At the same time, Adam Hofman declares that in the case of employment, he will go to Zbigniew Ziobro, talk, convince and solve problems Czarnecki thanks to the fact that in PiS he is an authority on banking matters, that is, in matters in which Czarnecki has accusations, “we read.
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“Czarnecki has doubts that the prime minister is not responsible for his problems, and not the prosecutor general. His interlocutors assure him that Ziobro is behind them and suggest that they agreed a job offer with Michał Krupiński. Michał Krupiński is not being hired. A week after the meeting, Zbigniew Ziobro publicly declares that he wants to arrest L. Czarnecki and issue an arrest warrant for him“- writes Giertych.
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The lawyer noted that a court hearing was to be held in October, during which the prosecutor’s request to arrest the businessman was to be examined, but the day before the meeting, Giertych was detained by the CBA. Therefore, the meeting did not take place.
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The patron publishes the recording
Giertych added an audio recording with a fragment of the conversation to the entry, which – as he wrote – makes it available with the consent of the principal, “so that no one would accuse me of not being truthful.
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The fragment is just over 1.5 minutes long. It was not specified when or where the recorded conversation took place. According to Giertych, you will hear a conversation between Hofman, Czarnecki and a third person, who, according to the patron, is Hofman’s associate. According to Giertych, it is to be proposed to employ Michał Krupiński, either formally or informally. Suggestions are also made in the conversation that Krupiński can talk to Ziobro about Czarnecki’s problems.
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Recording provided by Roman GiertychYouTube / Kancelaria calendar Kancelaria calendar
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Hofman’s statement on the recording
Hofman referred to the recording on Sunday evening, in another statement posted on social media.
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“Since May 2019, the company in which we are partners has cooperated and cooperates to this day with Mr. Leszek Czarnecki, his two banks, a foundation and family members. We were offered cooperation proposals by Leszek Czarnecki himself. We concluded contracts for communication and advisory services with his companies. at that time, we performed public relations and strategic consulting activities in accordance with the Agreement. All activities were documented and reported to the client every month, “he wrote.
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He emphasized that “during the cooperation there were at least several dozen meetings with representatives of the entities served, including many times personally with Leszek Czarnecki himself”.
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“The meetings were held each time in places designated by the client, including in Warsaw, Miami and Monte Carlo, where Leszek Czarnecki stayed. We strongly emphasize that during these meetings we never made any ‘corrupt’ proposals” – he added.
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According to Hofman, “on July 24, 2020, Leszek Czarnecki, during one of the meetings, asked to find an expert – a banking advisor, as he called it – ‘on the other hand’. This expert would help him communicate with the market and the business environment.”
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“We would like to make it clear that it was the client himself who expressed the need to search for and employ such a specialist. We were asked to suggest who could play such a role in his company. During the next meeting, a proposal for a potential conversation and cooperation with Mr. Michał Krupiński was discussed. however, it did not happen, “the statement continues.
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“The conversation that was recorded during the recorded meeting on September 23, 2020 was one of many consultants of an advisory nature resulting from the implementation of the concluded contract and does not contain any content that would constitute a violation of the law. Thus, we firmly deny the reports of Mr. Roman Giertych on this topic” Hofman added.
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In his Sunday entry, Giertych mentioned the meeting, which was supposed to take place on September 15 this year.
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Further in the statement, Hofman also referred to the case related to the alleged intention to buy out TVN24. “During the meeting in Miami in August 2019, Leszek Czarnecki, referring to his contacts with the majority shareholder of Discovery, expressed his interest in purchasing TVN24. We emphasize: it was Leszek Czarnecki’s idea, not ours. The client returned to this topic several times and asked us for our opinion. , asked for recommendations regarding the purchase and the potential benefits arising from it. Both in the first and the second case, the topics raised in public appeared on the initiative of Leszek Czarnecki. These were not our proposals and the interpretation given to them by Roman Giertych is completely unauthorized “- he wrote former PiS politician.
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“Taking care of good companies (original spelling – ed.) And partners, as well as fighting the dissemination of false, manipulated information, we have already taken decisive legal steps. In our activities, we have always followed the principles of honest business and our actions towards clients have always been carried out in accordance with This was also the case here. Media activities carried out by Roman Giertych and GW since yesterday are an unauthorized attempt to divert attention from the essence of the matter and are intended to make it political in an unauthorized way “- added.
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“Gazeta Wyborcza”, tvn24.pl
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