Earnings received by TVP promoters can be returned. Talk to a lawyer

06/01/2024, 05:09

Marcin Tulicki, Samuel Pereira and Michal Adamczyk are still in charge of TAI. They were on the list of well-paid TVP employees (Photo: Paweł Wodzyński/East News)

Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Justice Minister Adam Bodnar have announced efforts to ensure Telewizja Polska's employees return some of the huge profits they received from propaganda. – If I were the recipient of these messages, I would not leave these statements unheeded – says Dr. Marcin Wojewódka, legal advisor at Wojewódka i Wspólnicy law firm.

After a member of the civil coalition, Dariusz Ionski, revealed the huge sums of money received by employees who were recently responsible for propaganda on TVP, Donald Tusk wrote on Platform X: “Will they have to return this money to the state? Probably. Yes.”

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The head of the Ministry of Justice addressed this recording of TVN24 on January 2: “We have provisions in the Civil Code that allow us to indicate that compensation for certain issues was inconsistent with the principles of social coexistence. This is quite a complicated procedure. , but it is not impossible.” Adam Bodnar noted that the court should decide the issue of refund by the former employees of the TV company.

The court can verify the huge income

Let's remember that TVP liquidator Daniel Gorgos provided us with information about the income of the management of the TV news agency. In response to a request for access to public information by Civil Coalition MP Dariusz Ionski. It was revealed that Michal Adamczyk, as director of TAI, received PLN 373,000 in employment. PLN total. Civil law contracts as part of his business activities earned him PLN 1.13 million in 2023.

Also read: TVP Info has extended its live broadcast, new journalists have joined the team of the TV company

The remuneration of the former director of TAI, Jarosław Olechowski, in 2023 was: PLN 1.02 million (as director of the agency) and PLN 408,000. PLN (from civil law contracts). Samuel Pereira, as deputy director of TAI, earned PLN 440,000. PLN and Marcin Tulicki (from May 2023, second deputy head of TAI) – PLN 417,000. zloty. In addition, Tulki received PLN 296,000 in 2023. PLN for civil law contracts.

Dr. Marcin Wojewódka points out that the court has a legal basis to verify this huge income and order to return part of these funds. – A lot depends on the contracts these people worked with and what was included in them.

He adds: – However, the expediency of such a high salary, unheard of in the journalistic industry, raises doubts. There is also reason to check whether the content of the contracts corresponded to the work these people performed at TVP – says Dr. Markin Voevodka in an interview with “Presserwise”.

Salaries can be questioned

Is it possible to get a refund by showing that the TVP staff did not do their job properly? Because their contracts probably did not include the obligation to spread propaganda, but to perform journalistic tasks.

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– It would be more difficult – answers Dr. Voževodka. – If someone's duties included the creation of famous strips on TVP Info or “Wiadomości”, the court will not consider their content, but will decide whether this person wrote them or not. On the other hand, payments can be questioned on the basis of the civil code, checking whether the people who received them did not violate the principles of social coexistence, as Adam Bodnar pointed out. And what these people did violated the principles of social coexistence, for example, by attacking specific people – adds Dr. Markin Voevodka.

The lawyer also notes that the heads of TAI were paid simultaneously on the basis of civil law and labor contracts. – If it turns out that they performed the same work under both contracts, doubts arise regarding their payment of ZUS contributions, health insurance contributions and taxes. If it turns out that there was any violation, considering the amount of their compensation, they will have to return large sums – explains Dr. Vojvodka.

Also read: In the new “press”: Chuchnovsky about borders, Kamel a little soft, nuclear Polsat and funny Romek.

(MAK, 06/01/2024)

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