His wife, Emilia Hermaszewska, was detained simultaneously at their residence in Warsaw, according to Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior and Administration.
The arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and irregularities at Collegium Humanum, a private university where Hermaszewska is employed, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Prosecutors suspect that the university, which has been operating since 2018, was involved in selling degrees, including MBA qualifications, which could open the doors to applying for positions on the supervisory boards of state-owned companies.
The credibility of the documents issued by Collegium Humanum was supposedly backed by foreign universities, but it was later revealed that these institutions were not authorized to offer MBA programs, Polish media outlets reported.
According to a journalistic investigation, Collegium Humanum graduates included politicians, CEOs and board members of state-owned companies, as well as security service officers and military commanders.
Przemysław Nowak, spokesman for the National Public Prosecutor's Office, confirmed that Czarnecki had been detained. He was being transported to the southern city of Katowice for questioning and formal charges.
Czarnecki has denied any wrongdoing.
The former member of the European Parliament is also facing charges over allegedly falsifying travel expenses during his time as a member of the European Parliament, according to media reports.
According to a report by Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper, the former MEP is accused of submitting fraudulent reimbursement claims for travel between Warsaw and Brussels, using data from 18 different vehicles, including a tractor, a Chinese scooter, a scrapped Fiat Punto, and even a nonexistent vehicle.
In total, he is alleged to have embezzled EUR 203,000 through these falsified claims.
Between 2009 and 2013, Czarnecki reported 243 trips, with 203 of them being to the town of Jasło, despite the fact that he has never lived there, Gazeta Wyborcza reported.
Jasło, a picturesque town in southern Poland, is one of the farthest cities from Warsaw, allowing for longer travel claims and larger reimbursements. The distance between the two locations varies from 350 to 420 kilometres depending on the route taken.
Investigators revealed that Czarnecki had logged a total distance of 222,966 kilometers — equivalent to circling the Earth five and a half times.
Although Czarnecki has since repaid EUR 104,000, he still faces up to 15 years in prison for document forgery and fraud, according to the Polish newspaper.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, polskieradio24.pl
