Germany demands Poland clarify 'serious' visa allegations
System for giving out visas in Middle East and Africa
20 September, 16:25
(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, SEP 20 - Germany has asked the Polish
government to clear up "serious" visa fraud allegations ahead of
elections in Poland dominated by immigration issues, sources in
Berlin said Wednesday. Polish media reports said a system for
giving out Schengen visas to people from the Middle East and
Africa in exchange for money was put in place through the Polish
consulates and some external companies in the countries
concerned. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had called her
Polish counterpart and Warsaw's envoy to Berlin had been asked
to appear at her ministry over the issue, officials said. During
the talks, Berlin demanded that Warsaw provide "rapid and
complete clarification" of the "serious" allegations. The
authorities say the scheme may have involved several hundred
Polish work visas, while the opposition says the real number
could be around 250,000. Poland's secret service said last week
that seven people had been detained in the scandal ahead of
October 15 elections in which the governing party is running on
an anti-immigration platform. (ANSA-AFP).