On Thursday, Poland’s Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek formally asked the President of the European Parliament to waive the immunity of Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Daniel Obajtek, seeking authorisation to arrest him and place him under pretrial detention. The request concerns an ongoing investigation into the underselling of fuel prices in 2023, when Obajtek served as Orlen’s Chief Executive Officer.
The prosecutor announced the submission of this application to the European Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola via the X portal. Obajtek is currently a representative of the Law and Justice (PiS) party in the European Parliament. He served as CEO of Orlen from 2018 to 2024. According to Żurek’s statements, evidence gathered during the investigation suggests that Obajtek, while serving as Orlen’s President, acted for reasons unrelated to economic considerations. He allegedly instructed subordinate employees to lower wholesale and retail prices so that, from 1 to 15 October 2023, the cost of a litre of fuel at stations was capped at PLN 5.99 (€1.37).
The prosecutor’s office reported that Obajtek’s actions violated established procedures. Moreover, despite significant operational challenges and financial losses, he reportedly monitored operations personally and continued issuing directives to maintain the reduced pricing. This course of action reportedly led to a fuel shortage at over 600 service stations and notifications of inoperative dispensers, resulting in damages for Orlen exceeding PLN 4.1 billion (€938.37 million).
The Prosecutor General has indicated that the offences referenced in the request for an immunity waiver could carry a prison sentence of up to 25 years. The investigation into the alleged fuel price undercutting continues under the oversight of the Łódź branch of the Provincial Police Headquarters. In early October, prosecutors also charged five former and current Orlen managers with suspected involvement in the fuel-pricing undercutting scheme.
