Prosecutor's office investigates School in the Cloud grants – police secure documents
Police entered the premises of School in the Cloud and secured documents concerning educational grants from Warsaw's city hall. The investigation was initiated following a notification from the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Police at School in the Cloud premises – prosecutor's office examines grant accounting
Officers from the Capital Police Headquarters entered the premises of the company School in the Cloud last week and secured financial documents, according to findings by zero.pl. The action was conducted on the orders of the prosecutor's office; it concerns the accounting of educational grants transferred by the Office of the City of Warsaw.
The investigation was initiated by the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau. The Warsaw regional prosecutor's office supervises the proceedings.
Accusations of unfavourable disposal of assets
Mateusz Martyniuk, spokesman for the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, confirmed to zero.pl that the investigation concerns, among other things, "causing the unfavourable disposal of assets of significant value belonging to the Office of the City of Warsaw in the years 2021–2022, in connection with the accounting of expenditure received as part of educational grants". The prosecutor's office designates the city hall as the aggrieved party.
The impetus for initiating the proceedings was the results of an inspection conducted by the city's Education Office, concluded with inspection protocols and decisions by the city president on the return of part of the grants. Martyniuk indicated that "doubts concerned, among other things, the amount of costs for purchasing computer software used by the school" during that period.
22 million zloty for a related foundation's platform
As the inspection revealed, the results of which were described by "Gazeta Wyborcza", in 2022 School in the Cloud allocated 55 per cent of the received grant – 22 million zloty – to computer software. The educational platform used by students belonged to the Society Foundation. The same foundation holds shares in the company School in the Cloud, whose chief executive is Mariusz Truszkowski. Truszkowski is simultaneously the founder and member of the board of the Society Foundation.
School spokesman first denied, then admitted
Zero.pl directed questions to the School in the Cloud spokesman Michał Cieśla before the prosecutor's office officially confirmed the matter. During the first conversation, Cieśla assured that neither the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau nor any other services had conducted operations at the company. After obtaining confirmation from the investigators, the spokesman admitted that police "conducted inspection procedures".
"I confirm that inspection procedures were conducted at the company School in the Cloud sp. z o.o. by police officers (not the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau). The inspection was procedural in nature and was related to an ongoing explanatory proceeding," wrote Cieśla in response to questions from the editorial team.
He added that no one has been charged thus far and that representatives of the company provided police with all necessary information.
School relies on a favourable ruling by the Administrative Court of Appeal
The institution emphasises that the same matter was already the subject of administrative proceedings. In May, the Municipal Administrative Court of Appeal overturned the decision of the Warsaw president concerning the return of part of the funds, ruling in the school's favour.
Cieśla assessed that transferring the dispute to criminal grounds is "surprising and puzzling particularly now, when the Administrative Court of Appeal has ruled the matter in its favour". "It is surprising and puzzling for us that it is precisely in this period that »doubts« are being formulated which may influence public opinion by referring to the city authorities in this matter as the »aggrieved party«," stated the spokesman.
In a statement provided to zero.pl, the school noted that it does not contest the right of the competent authorities to clarify the matter, but draws attention to the "risk of transferring an administrative dispute to criminal grounds".
Largest home education institution in Poland
School in the Cloud is a non-public primary school and general secondary school in which all students carry out their education in a home education model – without the obligation of daily attendance at the school building. The institution has over 25,000 students and is the largest such institution in Poland.
The company is run and was founded by Mariusz Truszkowski, previously known as a co-creator of the Chomikuj.pl service. This service was the subject of court disputes with the Association of Polish Filmmakers for over a decade over copyright infringement; the Supreme Court ultimately found it liable for these infringements. After withdrawing from Chomikuj.pl, Truszkowski, together with his brother Piotr, established a number of new entities – including hosting companies Net-sharks, Auto-backup and Start Solutions, a courier company Super Paczka, construction enterprises 9 Talo, 5 Talo and Who Else Poland, as well as educational companies School in the Cloud and Zielona Wieża and several foundations. Truszkowski describes himself as a "serial entrepreneur" and argues that the school's activities are non-profit in nature, despite being run by a commercial law company.
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)