The European Union has asked Poland to clear up allegations of widespread visa fraud that have engulfed the country’s governing party.
Polish media had reported that migrants paid up to $5,000 (£4,000) to Polish consulates and private companies to speed up visa applications.
A European Commission spokeswoman said they had given Warsaw two weeks to respond to detailed questions.
The Polish government said allegations about extensive fraud were “absurd”.
Germany has also asked Poland to provide details about the number of visas given out and the nationalities of the people who received them.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called her Polish counterpart, Mariusz Kaminski, about the “serious allegations” on Tuesday.
The Polish government has admitted that hundreds of visas were issued illegally but has disputed claims by the opposition that the number was much higher.
The ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) is known for its tough stance on immigration and is running on an anti-immigration platform ahead of national elections on 15 October.
Amid acrimonious campaigning, the opposition has called it “the biggest scandal we have faced in the 21st Century” and “corruption at the highest levels of government”.
It puts the number at up to several hundred thousand visas for people from Asia and Africa.
“I denied the absurd actions of the opposition that are harming Poland,” Mr Kaminski said, referring to the call with his German counterpart.
“It’s natural that the minister was concerned. I reassured her not to believe this nonsense,” he told Poland’s Radio Zet.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk was sacked at the end of August after the allegations emerged.
The foreign ministry is facing an audit and Poland’s anti-corruption bureau has carried out a search of the ministry.
The ministry said it would terminate all contracts for outsourcing companies that had handled visa applications since 2011.
Seven people were charged in relation to the allegations, three of whom remain in detention.
Law and Justice is seeking an unprecedented third term in office and while the party is currently leading in polls, it is unclear if they can win the outright majority they need to govern in next month’s parliamentary elections.
The opposition has used the scandal to suggest the government’s policies in curbing immigration are failing.
Poland last year completed a 187km (116-mile) steel barrier along its border with Belarus and deployed thousands of soldiers to stop migrants from crossing into its territory.
Warsaw faced a serious crisis with migrants stranded at the border in freezing temperatures in late 2021. The government at time accused Belarus of pushing the migrants towards the border in a “hostile activity”.
Poland has also been a staunch critic of EU plans to send migrants from Mediterranean countries that see the highest number of arrivals to other member states.
Immigration has been high on the agenda in Europe in recent weeks, with Italy calling for EU help after 8,000 migrants arrived on the island of Lampedusa in three days.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said on Tuesday that relocating migrants was “essentially an incentive for the human trafficking industry”.
The ruling party has also condemned a new film by veteran director Agnieszka Holland that highlights the migration crisis on the Belarus border. Widely praised by critics, Green Border has been accused by the government of distorting Poland’s image and harming the honour of Poles who defend their country.
Source : BBC