Polish authorities are investigating widespread fraud and abuse within the “Clean Air” home renovation program, resulting in a criminal probe and document seizures.
Program Safeguards and Prosecutor Notifications
Paulina Hennig-Kloska announced the implementation of “a series of safeguards to protect beneficiaries” during a Tuesday press conference, also revealing that several hundred notifications have been submitted to prosecutors.
She stated that the ministry has been working for the past two years to rectify the program, which she believes was previously vulnerable to abuse and fraud. The Minister of Climate and Environment highlighted numerous cases of fraud where beneficiaries were harmed by dishonest contractors, leading to unrealized investments and financial losses.
Responding to Abuse and Systemic Issues
The Ministry is responding to reported abuses and fraud within the “Clean Air” program. Hennig-Kloska appealed to Justice Minister Adam Bodnar, and previously Waldemar Żurek, to provide special oversight of the proceedings due to their diversity and fragmentation.
She emphasized the scale of the abuse and the number of improperly executed investments were too significant to ignore. Changes introduced in 2022-2023, according to current ministry leadership, led to a “loosening” of program controls, including the introduction of pre-financing without adequate security and the removal of unit cost limits, potentially encouraging inflated pricing.
Program Suspension and Restructuring
The “Clean Air” program was temporarily suspended in November 2024 and substantially rebuilt before being relaunched in 2025 under new rules. A key outcome of the changes is the streamlining of the application process.
Hennig-Kloska stated that application processing backlogs have been eliminated, resolving issues frequently discussed during parliamentary committee meetings. Previously, each invoice and payment request was scrutinized multiple times, but now both new funding applications and payments are being processed promptly.
CBA Investigation and European Prosecutor Involvement
The Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) seized documents related to the “Clean Air” program from approximately fifteen offices on Tuesday, April 21st, including the Prime Minister’s Chancellery and several ministries and funds.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into potential dereliction of duty by public officials concerning the program’s development and implementation, based on media reports indicating possible irregularities from the program’s initial stages. These systemic issues allegedly allowed dishonest contractors to illegally obtain funds and harm beneficiaries.
Financial Losses and Ongoing Prosecution
The investigation, which began in October 2025, estimates total damages in the tens of millions of zlotys. The alleged crimes occurred between 2022 and December 2024, involving a company from the West Pomeranian Voivodeship that allegedly misled beneficiaries regarding the feasibility of investments.
Prosecutors have determined that the perpetrator primarily defrauded beneficiaries of funds, for example, by misrepresenting the possibility of actually completing the investment. The program provides subsidies to homeowners for replacing old heating systems with more ecological options, such as heat pumps, and for building thermal modernization, requiring energy audits before and after investment.
Support for Victims and Application Volume
The Ministry of Climate and Environment is working on a special law to assist victims of the “Clean Air” program. Over one million applications, totaling over 41 billion zlotys in funding, have been submitted since September 2018, including those rejected or withdrawn during evaluation.
