Polish customs officials charged with corruption

[Judi Lynn]

Poland
Polish customs officials charged with corruption
AFP, 05 January 2006
Around 50 Polish customs officials are among some 100 people in the central city of Lodz who have been charged with corruption and belonging to a criminal ring, police said Thursday.

"Six more customs officers were detained Thursday morning as part of inquiries which have been ongoing since December 2004. In total, around 100 people including 46 customs officials from Lodz have been charged," police spokesman Arnold Lorenz said.

The customs officials, including the head of service in Lodz, have been accused of taking bribes to speed up the passage of goods and under-valuing merchandise subject to duty payments.Last week, 45 border police at the Korczowa crossing with Ukraine were also charged with corruption after they allegedly let Ukrainians enter Poland in exchange for money.

A series of high-level corruption scandals have rocked Poland in recent years. They led to then prime minister Leszek Miller resigning in 2004 and to the left being pushed from power late last year by the conservatives, who vowed to stamp out corruption during their campaign for office.
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