Banaś: A Smear Campaign is Underway Against Me; Lies Are Being Spread About My Alleged Ties to Criminals and Tax Evasion

27/11/2019

16:42

Banaś:

A Smear Campaign is Underway Against Me; Lies Are Being Spread About My Alleged Ties to Criminals and Tax Evasion

Michał Olech

For two months now, a smear campaign has been conducted against me. Lies are being spread about me, claiming I am linked to criminals and that I evaded taxes. It is being suggested that I acquired property under dubious circumstances and misused my public office for private gain. None of this is true. Every one of these accusations is a lie, a lie, and yet another lie. I have taken and will continue to take legal action against the authors of these slanders. In the meantime, I calmly await the conclusion of the procedures initiated by state offices concerning my asset declarations - stated Marian Banaś during a session of the Sejm's State Control Committee. Regarding the tenement house at 24 Krasickiego Street in Krakow, which is generating the most emotions. In 2001, the tenement house at 24 Krasickiego Street and a plot of land with a residential building in the Brzesko municipality were transferred to me by their owner, Henryk Stachowski, in exchange for lifelong care. We had known each other for over 20 years. Stachowski was a soldier of the Home Army (AK) and the post-war independence underground. He paid for this with his health in the UB interrogation rooms and prisons. In the 1980s, he made a significant contribution to 'Solidarity'. He was a childless widower and until his death in 2007, he became a de facto member of my family, participating in its life. In recent weeks, Stachowski's memory has been defiled in the public domain, calling him a supposed AK soldier and suggesting he was a common criminal. This is disgraceful. All the more so because the deceased Henryk Stachowski cannot defend himself. However, historical documents defend him. By 2004, the tenement house was renovated and designated as a dormitory, managed by my son Jakub, and subsequently for hotel and tourism activities. Due to my son's change in professional plans, I found a new tenant through an advertisement. He raised no concerns. He was an unconvicted individual interested in buying the tenement house from me, which was also of particular importance to me. On March 19, 2014, I signed two agreements. The first was a 10-year lease of the tenement house, with rent set at PLN 4,000. However, all costs related to the property's maintenance were borne by the tenant. The second agreement was a promise to sell the tenement house. On the day of signing the agreement, I held no government positions. On December 19, 2015, 30 days after taking office as Deputy Minister of Finance, I entered into a notarial preliminary sale agreement for the tenement house in favor of the aforementioned tenant. By the terms of this agreement, the tenant committed to paying me a down payment and advance payments towards the purchase of the tenement house. In the event he withdrew from the purchase, the down payment was non-refundable but its amount compensated for the rent collected to date. Suggesting that I attempted tax optimization in this manner is an unfounded and slanderous lie. In March 2018, the tenant of the tenement house informed me that he would have to withdraw from the purchase as he was unable to secure a loan. In December 2018, in the presence of a notary, we jointly declared the closure of mutual settlements due to the impossibility of purchasing the property. On August 17, 2019, after a year and a half of searching for a buyer, I sold the tenement house to a specialized company dealing with the revitalization of such properties. The company has no ties to the previous tenant. On September 2, 2019, in my former tenement house - the President of NIK continued to speak.

Michał Olech