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A Warsaw court has ruled that Polish film producer Lew Rywin must start serving his two year prison term later this month. Rywin was convicted of fraud last year for asking a leading media group for a several million dollar bribe in return for Parliamentary amendments to this country’s media ownership law.
Lew Rywin, co-producer of such Hollywood blockbusters as Schindler’s List and The Pianist, must start serving his two year prison term on April 18. Last year Rywin was convicted of fraud in a media ownership scandal involving top members of the ruling left-wing SLD. The so-called 'Rywingate' scandal also led to the resignation of Prime Minister Leszek Miller just one day after this country joined the EU last year.
Leading publishing group Agora was promised help by Rywin to amend a law which would have allowed Agora to purchase a private television station. In return Rywin asked for a 17.5 million dollar bribe.
Media Expert Andrzej Krajewski argues that placing Rywin behind bars is a very important step in the fight against corruption in Poland.
Even though Rywin is expected to start serving his prison term next month there are rumours that this poor health may not permit him to do that.
Poland has one of the worst corruption ratings of the EU. Magdalena Brenner of the Polish Chapter of Transparency International believes that justice has prevailed to some degree.
On his part, Rywin did not plead guilty to the charges and said he was being victimized in a fight between the Agora publishing house and the government. But ad hoc parliamentary commission which independently investigated the affair found enough evidence to cause his downfall.
| Source: Radio Polonia | March.31.2005 |
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