Anna Konieczyńska Expelled From Civic Coalition Following Flood Relief Controversy

Anna Konieczyńska has been expelled from the Civic Coalition by the Regional Court of Arbitration following reports regarding irregularities in the distribution of post-flood aid funds.

Disciplinary Action by the Civic Coalition

“Following evidentiary proceedings, the Regional Court of Arbitration confirmed the charge of violating the obligations of a KO member, in particular the obligation to act in a manner that does not compromise the good name of the Coalition, and sentenced Anna Konieczyńska to expulsion from the Civic Coalition,” Radosz Pawlikowski, chairman of the Lower Silesian Regional Court of Arbitration of KO, stated in a release quoted by Rmf24.pl.

The decision is not final, and Anna Konieczyńska may appeal it to the national authorities of the party.

Dismissal From Regional Development Agency

Last week, Anna Konieczyńska was dismissed by the supervisory board from her position as vice president of the Karkonosze Regional Development Agency (KARR). Image and company management issues, alongside recent reports on irregularities concerning post-flood support, were cited as the reasons. Subsequently, President Hubert Papaj and the KARR supervisory board also lost their positions.

Wirtualna Polska reported in August that approximately 4.5 million PLN in aid from the Karkonosze Regional Development Agency was distributed after the 2024 floods to three entities connected to Konieczyńska.

Details of Disbursed Aid Funds

According to Wp.pl, the husband of the KARR vice president’s company received the maximum ministerial fund loan of 200,000 PLN. An inspection report drawn up ten months after the flood showed cracked terrace tiles, washed-out grout, and cracks in the plaster of the first-floor balcony balustrade, while the municipality admitted in writing that it had no independent proof of these damages occurring as a result of the flood.

In turn, a company belonging to the KO activist’s neighbors received 3.2 million PLN in aid. The damage was allegedly sustained in a children’s playroom which, according to the portal, never admitted a single child and shows no trace of ever having been opened. A third subsidy, amounting to 1.12 million PLN, went to the company of a local television owner and long-term contractor of local governments—in this case, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego confirmed the lack of a required impartiality declaration in the regulations.

Verification and Investigation of Locations

WP journalists wrote that they inspected the audited addresses across four independent sources: the State Fire Service, Polish Waters (Wody Polskie), the European Union’s Copernicus EMS satellite system, and ICEYE company data verified by the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences. None of the sources recorded the presence of floodwaters under the indicated locations.

The Civic Coalition demanded that regional authorities remove the head of KARR. Ex-PiS councillors have already begun collecting signatures for a motion to dismiss the entire voivodeship board, writes Magdalena Kozioł in an article on Wyborcza.pl.

Defense and Statements From KARR

Anna Konieczyńska did not answer Wp.pl’s questions. Later, in an interview with the media, she argued, among other things, that she had become a victim of a “witch-hunt.” “There was damage, yes, such damage. If such an application was submitted, then surely there was, and I really have nothing to reproach myself with,” she assured.

In a statement issued on August 10, KARR conveyed that “approximately 1,000 applications were accepted, nearly 800 contracts were signed, and the company’s activities were controlled by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, the Ministry of Development and Technology, and the Supervisory Board.”

“The entire process took place based on submitted applications obligatorily containing certificates issued by the competent village mayor, town mayor, or city president confirming the suffered damage, and damage estimates made by court experts or property appraisers. Control and verification activities by other institutions have been ongoing for several months; until their conclusion, the Company will not take a stance on the matter,” it added.

Central Anticorruption Bureau Controls

Agents of the Central Anticorruption Bureau are checking the procedure for issuing post-2024 flood certificates to entrepreneurs in the Jelenia Góra city hall. These served as the basis for receiving support after the disaster. The inspection is the result of CBA activities conducted since April.

Minister Siemoniak’s social assistant took money for flood victims for a beauty salon and must explain herself to the KO authorities, writes Magdalena Kozioł on Wyborcza.pl.