I Was Drunk, Says Man Accused of Huge Bribe

[matcom]

THAT'S ALWAYS MY EXCUSE TOO! :P

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WARSAW (Reuters) - The man accused of soliciting a massive bribe in a scandal that has shaken Poland's establishment said Friday he had been drunk at the time.



Film maker Lew Rywin broke his silence in a tabloid interview months after refusing to answer questions at a parliamentary inquiry into the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza's claim that he had solicited a $17.5 million bribe from it.


"Who is now interested in the truth, which is that I was sloshed at the time?" Rywin, who worked as a producer on the Oscar-winning films "Schindler's List" and "The Pianist," told the Super Express daily.


Gazeta editor Adam Michnik secretly recorded a meeting in July 2002 at which Rywin sought the bribe on behalf of "a group holding power," promising in return to remove legal obstacles preventing Gazeta's publisher, media group Agora, from taking over a Polish TV station.


Rywin has been charged with bribery, and the parliamentary probe has heard testimony from Prime Minister Leszek Miller and other leaders of his left-wing party in televised hearings which have gripped the country for months.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=573&e=5&u=/nm/20030912/od_nm/poland_corruption_dc