The declassification of the 2011 note by the then Minister of the Treasury, Aleksander Grad, indicates that the government of Donald Tusk attempted to transfer a total control of the Lotos refinery in Gdańsk to Russians. Daniel Obajtek, the CEO of PKN Orlen, a new owner of Lotos Group, wrote in the comment sent to Polish Press Agency (PAP).
On Monday morning, a prominent Polish radio station, RMF FM, announced on its website that the government of the Civic Platform (PO) led by Donald Tusk in 2011 allowed Russian companies to privatize Lotos. It took place a week after the PO won the parliamentary elections.
RMF FM referred to the declassified note of the then Minister of the Treasury, Aleksander Grad. The document shows that among the three companies that were admitted to the sale process were: the Russian company OJSC TNK-BP, the Hungarian MOL, and the Dutch Mercuria Energy, whose Russian shareholders previously operated in Poland as J&S.
Daniel Obajtek said that PKN Orlen was criticized for the merger with Lotos by the opposition, which in 2011 saw no problem in selling the entire Lotos Group to Russian companies.
In August 2020, Orlen signed an agreement with the State Treasury and Grupa Lotos regarding acquiring shares in the Gdańsk-based Group and, consequently, taking over capital control. The company has negotiated with the European Commission conditions that guarantee the further development of all entities involved, including Lotos.
