Excavate the Vistula measurement from the beginning doomed to financial failure. NIK published details

According to the NIK website, the Multiannual Programme "Construction of a Waterway connecting the Vistula River to the Gulf of Gdańsk" was approved by the Council of Ministers on 24 May 2016. It is financed entirely from the state budget. The implementation of this programme was entrusted to the Maritime Office in Gdynia. The main nonsubjective of the programme was to guarantee the region's safety and stimulate socio-economic improvement through the creation of a waterway. It was to let free and year-round access of sea vessels to Elbląg. As part of this objective, it was planned to build a shipping channel through Wiślana, together with the accompanying infrastructure, to build a water track from Elbląska Bay to the selected location of the channel and to modernise the entrance to Elbląg Port (from the Vistula Basin to the bridge in Nowak).

Budget increased by more than 125%

The main allegations of NIK are directed towards the Ministry of Infrastructure, in peculiar to the Minister liable for Maritime Affairs and the Maritime Office in Gdynia. The auditors carefully analysed the expenditure associated with the key PiS task and found many irregularities. Interestingly, the first value of the programme was PLN 880 million, but it yet utilized almost PLN 2 billion from public funds. This means that the budget for the excavation of the Wiślana measurement increased by more than 125%.

Next large PiSu scam .Measuring the Vistula . The press conference of NIK about 11. pic.twitter.com/vXkgubCgu2

- The PiS is not my story. This is evil!!! (@59Jpiech) November 9, 2023

That couldn't have worked.

When the Council of Ministers approved the Multiannual Programme in 2016, it did not include the tasks essential to accomplish port capacity in Elbląg. Consequently, it has not been possible from the outset to full accomplish the main nonsubjective of ensuring regional safety and stimulating socio-economic growth.

NIK describes that the program was not decently prepared by the Minister – the draft introductory resolution does not specify the realistically required material and financial scope, based on unreliable assumptions created by the manager of the Maritime Office in Gdynia. It prepared implementing assumptions for the programme in 2016, based solely on outdated data from 2014, without taking into account the real financial needs of the project.

As early as June 2019, before the manager of the Maritime Office concluded a contract for the first of 4 stages of construction work, it was clear that the costs would be higher than expected by the government. NIK established that the minister was then aware that the value of the full program would increase by more than 100%. As we can read, "Minister knew that the program's value would increase by more than 100%, exceeding the level of profitability".

Another, ready-made indictment, which is Mierzej Wiślan.
In order to realize Balbina's dreams about the monument of his omnipotence – spent alternatively of PLN 880 million – PLN 2 billion, and the excavation, in order to be able to carry out the assumed strategical tasks must be rebuilt 🤦‍♀️https://t.co/3wimtuSArG

— Ewa Strepniak #FBPE (@CobraBarrister) November 9, 2023

Who was in control?

Despite the completion of the construction of the channel connecting Zalew Wiślana with the Gulf of Gdańsk at the end of the first 4th of this year, the programme was inactive financed. This means that the manager of the Maritime Office continued the project-related expenditure, exceeding his mandate to manage the funds.

In addition, we read that in May of this year the Council of Ministers not only increased the investment budget, but besides extended the deadline for its implementation by the end of 2024 by adopting a resolution in circulation.

According to the findings of the auditors, the financial and reporting consequences of the irregularities detected totalled over PLN 381 million. The inadequate supervision of the implementation of the programme by the minister dealing with maritime affairs caused the Maritime Office in Gdynia to exceed the mandate to enter into commitments by almost PLN 158 million.