– HoReC's doubtful program was included in the KPO (National Recovery Plan), during the times of the Law and during the time of the Law and Justice Office, and was approved – said Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz at the beginning of the Tuesday conference of the Minister of Funds and Regional Policy.
KPO measures frozen until inspection
– Today, I decided that no funds would be transferred to payments to beneficiaries until the individual agreement was audited and deemed to comply with HoReC's rules," the head of the ministry informed.
– By this point, PLN 110 million was paid to beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the full program is PLN 1 billion 200 thousand. Therefore, the vast majority of the funds have not yet been paid at all – she pointed out that they would be paid "as the controls progress".
Let us add that the control activities concern the Polish Agency for Enterprise improvement and the entities that straight awarded grants.
"Program has been tightened, not loosened"
The Minister besides referred to allegations that irregularities occurred after access to the grant was facilitated. She denied it and explained that, on the contrary, the "programme was tightened" by introducing an yearly grace for the acquisition of fixed goods. Why a year? due to the fact that all the investments from the grant part gotta end in 2026 – mentioned Pełczyńska-Nałęcz.
– If KPO had started earlier, if this program had been implemented earlier, then this grace could have been longer. However, our decision was introduced in general – she noted.
The head of the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy besides reacted to the criticism of lowering the criterion of reducing the turnover of a given company during the pandemic period, which allowed for the grant. The request was reduced from 30% to 20.
– It wasn't any slack, it was a average procedure. The first call gives a advanced ceiling of 30%. Then, due to the fact that the indicator was not filled, in the next call a lower [...] ceiling of 20 percent of the turnover loss. This is normal, standard and necessarily action within KPO – she explained.
That's why Pełczyńska-Nałęcz never mentioned the retired PARP chief before.
Pełczyńska-Nałęcz besides admitted that "she understood the tremendous emotions and social outrage that sparked any subsidies and any signed contracts". She stressed that her ministry did and did everything to explain the matter.
– 2 weeks ago, at the end of July, I resigned the PARP chief due to inefficiency, sluggish actions, not only in the HoReC issue, but besides in another programs. I did not make this public due to the fact that I felt that they were not my intention to harm the image and individual individual who did not check out in this position," the minister added.
Let us remind you that a fewer days ago there was a scandal about grants from the KPO for the alleged HoReCa sector. The funds were to be utilized for innovation, while the map on the KPO website shows that entrepreneurs utilized them for yachts, cottages on water or coffee machines. This has caused considerable outrage in society.
