Polish prosecutors have charged three men from Radom with disrupting court auctions across multiple provinces by extorting money from bidders.
Corrupt Practices at Court Auctions
The Radom District Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges against three individuals accused of obstructing court auctions in several voivodeships (provinces).
The men allegedly accepted payments from other interested parties in exchange for withdrawing from auctions or artificially inflating prices.
Operation Across Multiple Provinces
The criminal activity took place in the Masovian, Łódź, Świętokrzyskie, and Lublin voivodeships. The investigation was conducted by the Anti-Corruption Department of the Radom Provincial Police.
19 Charges Filed Against the Accused
The defendants, residents of the Radom and Sochaczew counties (Masovian Voivodeship), aged 41, 42, and 60, face a total of 19 criminal charges.
Investigators state they intentionally disrupted auctions, primarily those concerning real estate.
Extortion Scheme Detailed
Without intending to purchase the auctioned items, the accused would participate in the bidding process and demand money from other bidders to withdraw and inflate the starting price.
Thousands of Złoty Extorted from Bidders
Prosecutors believe that some auction participants, unaware that the perpetrators were solely motivated by financial gain, transferred the requested funds before the auction to secure a property.
Financial Gains and Asset Seizures
The men are alleged to have obtained at least 34,000 złoty in illicit profits through this scheme.
The accused have been subjected to a financial security measure of 30,000 złoty each, and their assets, totaling over 82,000 złoty, have been seized.