Hezbollah supporters parade during a ceremony organized in the southern suburbs of Beirut on the second commemoration of the Iraq assassination of General Iranian Kassem Soleimani, Jan. 4, 2022. (Credit: Archives/Houssam Chbaro/An-Nahar)
The Polish National Prosecutor's Office announced on Tuesday that it has opened an investigation into state-controlled oil giant Orlen, focusing on a senior figure in the company’s Swiss subsidiary who faces allegations of having links with Hezbollah.
The announcement comes a day after reports surfaced in Polish media accusing the head of Orlen Trading Switzerland (OTS), Samer A., of having contacts with Hezbollah, which he has denied. According to Polish journalists, Samer A., a Polish citizen of Lebanese origin, became president of OTS, created in 2022, despite disapproval from the company’s security services. He was appointed at the request of Orlen's former president, Daniel Obajtek.
On Monday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk mentioned "possible links between a former Orlen manager and Hezbollah,” in a post on X.
According to an Orlen report published last week, OTS lost around 1.5 billion zlotys (350 million euros) purchasing oil, primarily from Venezuela, that was never delivered. The order was made "without any control," national prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk told the press.
Samer A. was already suspected of buying Iranian oil under American sanctions. Orlen is accused in Poland of assisting the previous populist nationalist government in financing political projects and maintaining numerous costly positions.
Samer A. and Daniel Obajtek’s whereabouts are "currently unknown," although the latter is reportedly a possible candidate for the nationalist PiS party in upcoming European elections.
The prosecutor also announced two other "major proceedings" underway, concerning Orlen, the Polish oil giant, involved in production, transport, refining, wholesale, and retail, as well as in the electricity and gas sector.
One of these investigations relates to Orlen's merger with its national rival Lotos, accompanied by the sale of a stake to Saudi Aramco, at a loss estimated by Warsaw at four billion zlotys (930 million euros).
A third investigation concerns suspicions of under-cutting fuel prices last autumn, "which could be linked to the approaching parliamentary elections" on Aug. 15, with Orlen's loss estimated at one billion zlotys. According to Korneluk, the investigation could go "all the way back to the Prime Minister" at the time, Mateusz Morawiecki.
Orlen is 49.9 percent owned by the Polish Treasury, 5.76 percent by pension funds Nationale-Nederlanden, and 4.96 percent by Allianz, with the remainder listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.