Political subtext in 'Tape Affair'?
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
13.03.2015 14:03
More information is surfacing concerning the so-called Waitergate, which took Poland by storm in mid-2014.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Daily Gazeta Wyborcza reports that the alleged mastermind behind the affair – which was dubbed by the foreign media as “Waitergate” – Polish businessman Marek Falenta, wanted to ingratiate himself with the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party by attempting to bring the governing Civic Platform (PO) party to its knees.
However by noon on Friday, Law and Justice had already made a statement distancing themselves from Falenta.
These tapes were made by two waiters who served tables at two upmarket eateries frequented by some of the most important people in the country.
The three now face criminal charges. and have been extensively cross-questioned by Polish police.
According to a report into the matter which was seen by Gazeta Wyborcza, one of the waiters said that the trio had a very intricate coding system to pass on the files.
Marek Falenta is reported to have wanted a reward from PiS.
Source: Screenshot/RMF FM
Like a spy novel
“The initiative to code the tapes came from Falenta. Encrypted flash drives were green with black stripes, and on the front, there was a row of buttons numbered from 0 to 9 and a button with a key symbol. Falenta gave me the code which was the same for both memory sticks” one of the waiters known only as Łukasz N. told investigators.
Above their rank
“The Testimony of waiters provides a picture of a lively restaurant filled with Polish businessmen and politicians,” reads a comment in Gazeta Wyborcza.
“Recklessness especially by the latter category made them easy prey for people with a trivial position in the service industry, who should not have had access to confidential conversations of important people.”
The first tapes to become public were secret recordings made in July 2013 between the governor of the National Bank of Poland Marek Belka, with then-interior minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz and former transport minister Sławomir Nowak.
Many more recordings later came up, of several important people in the political and business spheres. (rg)