They write about Poland. World media about the visa scandal at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The world's media are writing about the visa scandal involving former Polish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Piotr Wawrzyk. The agencies agree that the case may affect the popularity of the ruling party just before the parliamentary elections.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Piotr Wawrzyk was expelled from the government and from the PiS lists because he helped his associates create an illegal channel for transporting immigrants from Asia and Africa through Europe to the United States.

Scandal in Poland before the elections

Reuters points out that seven people have been charged in connection with the scandal. The case of the illegal migration channel is described as "a scandal surrounding the hot topic of migration before the elections scheduled for October 15".

"The opposition says the government was complicit in creating a system in which migrants were granted visas at an accelerated pace, without proper controls, an issue that could harm the ruling nationalist PiS party, which has promoted a tough stance on migration," writes Reuters.

"The allegations may seriously hit" PiS

This is one of the most impressive transfers of illegal immigrants from India. According to reports, the Indians recruited by Wawrzyk posed as Bollywood film crews. Everyone paid 25-40 thousand dollars to be transferred to America.

"The Times of India" reminds that on Wednesday, opposition MPs claimed that knowledge of irregularities was common in the government, including Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau. The newspaper indicates that PiS believes that the opposition is exaggerating the scale of the problem.

In turn, the Associated Press emphasizes that "the allegations may seriously hit the conservative party just before the parliamentary elections". "Law and Justice, which has placed opposition to migration at the center of its policy, wants to win a third term in the vote on October 15," AP comments.

A big problem for the ruling party in Poland

"Polish opposition parties are criticizing the government over reports that the country's consulates may have issued hundreds of thousands of temporary work visas in exchange for bribes," Politico reports.

"This is potentially a big problem for the ruling party before the general elections scheduled for October 15. The party has always pushed an anti-immigration message, especially towards people from Muslim countries. And it counts building a barrier on the border with Belarus as one of its flagship achievements," Politico comments.

Politico quotes, among others, the words of Donald Tusk, who wrote: "Do you know who brings the most Muslim immigrants to Europe? The government that scares them with them. The PiS government."

PiS under increasing criticism

The Canadian "Toronto Star", the daily with the largest circulation in the province of Ontario, also writes about the visa scandal in Poland, reporting that "the Polish populist government has repeatedly refused to accept migrants under the EU program."

"Last year, he spent PLN 1.6 billion on a massive wall along the border with Belarus, which is intended to block the inflow of migrants from the Middle East and Africa," the daily reports.

"Reports show that the inflow has been reduced but not completely stopped," the Toronto Star said.

Bloomberg points out that "Poland's ruling party is coming under increasing criticism over reports that government officials used the accelerated visa procedure for migrants for personal gain".

"A government spokesman said that the dismissal of Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk a month ago was related to media reports that Polish embassy officials were asked to expedite the issuance of visas, which involved a fee of five thousand dollars," it added.