Corruption in Poland is below the world average but notable. WithinPoland, surveys of Polish citizens reveal that it is perceived to be a major problem.
In the early 1920s, during the first years of theSecond Polish Republic, Polish institutions were plagued by endemic corruption,[1] and several of the governments of the day were accused of widespread corruption, very likely with a sound cause.[2] Between 1923 and 1926,Józef Piłsudski came to conclude that the system which he dubbed "Sejmocracy" fostered general corruption, ultimately leading him to launch theMay Coup and seize power.[3] His bywordSanation referred to the cleansing he promised to introduce, in contrast to his predecessors' shady practices.[4]
However, once in power, his allies uncovered very few cases of corruption in past governments; persistent references to mass corruption amounted to a type of "primitive propaganda", in the words of historianAndrzej Garlicki [pl]. Later, it was Piłsudskiites who became embroiled in a well-publicized scandal revolving around election budgets, theCzechowicz affair [pl].[5] By the 1930s, the country had developed an economic model involvingnationalised industry, with key industries in government hands. While this fostered growth in vital areas, it also gave rise to inefficiency and corruption. Private businesses found it hard to compete directly with state-owned concerns, in particular for public contracts.[6]
In the communistPeople's Republic of Poland, corruption was widespread, particularly byPolish United Workers Party officials (seenomenklatura).[7][8][9] Corruption under the communist regime was so pervasive that some scholars have referred to the system as "legalized corruption".[10]
Global Integrity 2010 report gave Poland a score of 80 out of 100 assessing the legal framework as 86 (strong) and actual implementation as 71 (moderate).[11] The report scored Poland particularly well (score of 90) in the categories of "Non-Governmental Organizations, Public Information and Media" and "Elections", and particularly low in the category of "Public Administration and Professionalism" (score of 59).[11]
A 2011 report by theInstitute of Public Affairs also criticized the standards of public life in Poland, and the prevalence ofnepotism andcronyism.[12]
A 2012 report jointly prepared by the Institute of Public Affairs (ISP) andTransparency International (TI) notes that corruption in Poland is lower than in the past when in the mid-1990s it was "a phenomenon of a systemic nature".[13] As described in that report, the World BankWorldwide Governance Indicators (accessible here[1]) for "rule of law" and "control of corruption" show steady improvement for Poland.[13] Poland has joined theOECD Anti-Bribery Convention in 2000, implementing relevant legislation in 2001.[14] Poland has also made significant progress in combating corruption like the establishment of theCentral Anti-Corruption Bureau and the first anti-corruption strategy which was adopted in 2002.[13]
The 2012 report from the ISP and TI, reviewing individual Polish anti-corruption institutions, praised theSupreme Audit Office (NIK), followed by thePolish Ombudsman (RPO).[13] It criticized the civil society, the private sector, and the executive and public administration for insufficient efforts in fighting corruption.[13] Poland's watchdog organisations are considered weak in combating corruption, and corruption allegations often appear in government contracting and permit issuance.[12][15]
The 2012 report from the ISP and TI praised the overall direction of the anti-corruption efforts in Poland, noting that they are "bringing noticeable results", but noted that those efforts, particularly from the public authorities, are "rather chaotic, sometimes contradictory or even controversial". It concluded that "corruption in Poland still entails considerable risks" and "the level of anti-corruption protection is unsatisfactory".[13] A 2013 OECD report analyzing the implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention concluded that "the current Polish framework for fighting foreign bribery is still inadequate".[16]
A 2013 survey in Poland found that 83% of surveyed Polish citizens think that corruption is a major problem for their country, particularly prevalent among politicians (62 percent) and in the healthcare sector (53 percent). A growing number of citizens (57%) are concerned that there is no political will to fight corruption.[17]
On TI's 2024Corruption Perceptions Index, Poland scored 53 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"). When ranked by score, Poland ranked 53rd among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector.[18] For comparison with regional scores, the best score among Western European andEuropean Union countries[Note 1] was 90, the average score was 64 and the worst score was 41.[19] For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), the average score was 43, and the worst score was 8 (ranked 180).[20]
