EU embroiled in 'visa for bribes' scandal as Poland 'hands thousands of visas to migrants'
The EU has found itself embroiled in a "visa for bribes" scandal
PA
The EU has found itself embroiled in a "visa for bribes" scandal, after Poland was accused of violating EU law.
Poland has allegedly been handing out visas which allow foreign nationals to enter the EU, in exchange for bribes.
It has been accused of issuing as many as 250,000 visas to migrants from Asia and Africa since 2021, in return for bribes of several thousand euros each.
In response to the allgeations, the Polish government said it had decided to "carry out an extraordinary inspection and audit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Consular Affairs as well as all Polish consular establishments."
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The spokesperson said the ministry had also decided to "terminate contracts with all outsourcing companies that handle visa applications."
The EU Commission has put mounting pressure on Warsaw to explain what happened and come clean about the extent of the crisis, sending the nation a list of 11 questions.
The questions are said to be aimed at assessing the scale of the scandal and its impact on security in the bloc.
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Poland has allegedly been handing out visas which allow foreign nationals to enter the EU, in exchange for bribes
PA
Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson wrote a letter to Poland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Zbigniew Rau earlier this week, warning Poland that it could be in breach of EU law by irresponsibly handing out the visas.
The Polish government has a deadline of October 3, set by Johansson, to respond to the allegations.
It has also been asked to explain how it intends to solve the problem.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser also spoke with her Polish counterpart Mariusz Kaminski on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Polish Ambassador Dariusz Pawlos was invited to speak with State Secretary Bernd Krösser at the interior ministry in Berlin, according to a government official who spoke to The Associated Press.
In her letter, Johansson asked: "Which structural measures are you taking so as to ensure that the system is protected against any possible fraudulent or corrupt behaviour?"
She added: "I would encourage you [to] take all possible steps to clarify all the allegations as soon as possible.
"These alleged cases could amount to violations of EU law, in particular the EU Visa Code."