The financial pyramid in question is Amber Gold, which lured savers by offering high rates of interest which were supposed to be guaranteed in gold. The pyramid in which 19,000 people lost nearly 200 million euros collapsed after it invested in a failed airline and became the subject of scrutiny.
The Parliamentary Investigative Committee has been charged with investigating whether the PM and other state officials knew about the existence of the pyramid and took no action. Should that be the case both Mr Tusk and others could face prosecution.
I was full of expectation for the sixth season of House of Cards but today’s hearing beats any serial. Gripping stuff
After the hearing Donald Tusk said he was surprised how often his microphone was switched off by the chair of the committee Małgorzata Wassermann, but he praised the “neutrality and professionalism” of the experts used by the committee.
He argued that the hearing undermined the Law and Justice (PiS) hypothesis that he was responsible for the scandal as members of the committee argued that he “did not adequately control the security services”.
The Tusk hearing was comedy of the “heard nothing, seen nothing” variety
Małgorzata Wassermann the chair of the Committee said that “Tusk did not know what was going on” so was responsible for neglecting his duties. She added that in her opinion “the work of the Committee proved Tusk did not pass his test as a prime minister and did not cope with governing such a large country as Poland”.
Mixed reactions on Twitter
Social media reaction from well-known journalists was swift.
I was full of expectation for the sixth season of House of Cards but today’s hearing beats any serial. Gripping stuff, wrote Katarzyna Kolenda-Zaleska of TVN.
Krzysztof Feusette of conservative Sieci weekely called the hearing “a comedy”. The Tusk hearing was comedy of the “heard nothing, seen nothing” variety.
Michał Kolanko of 300polityka.pl said the hearing was not a big success for PiS. Tusk’s testimony for PiS was as politically successful as the second round of local elections on Sunday.
Senior journalist, blogger and anticommunist opposition member Krzysztof Wyszkowski summed up. Thanks to Tusk we know that politics is the domain of total ignorance. Polish PM did not know he was acting in Germany’s interest and the German Chancellor did not know she would put him on Europe’s throne…
