POLAND: Prosecuters have charged a top Polish film maker who co-produced Steven Spielberg's film "Schindler's List" with attempted bribery in a corruption probe that could embroil the ruling left-wing party.
Prosecutors are investigating claims by daily Gazeta Wyborcza that film-maker Lew Rywin sought a €16.5 million bribe from its editor in return for changes to a media bill to benefit the top-selling paper's owner Agora.
Gazeta said Rywin had allegedly proposed to influence the government's draft of the bill in a way that would have made it possible for Agora to buy a commercial TV station, Polsat. According to Gazeta's claims, which have shaken Poland's close-knit political and business elite, Rywin approached editor Adam Michnik last July with the offer, saying he was acting on behalf of politicians from Prime Minister Mr Leszek Miller's party. Rywin was released on €124,770 bail after being questioned for the first time by the prosecutors, who confiscated his passport and told him not to leave Poland.
He was charged with soliciting a bribe while citing links with a state institution. If convicted, he could go to jail for up to three years. "Rywin made use of his right to refuse to . . . answer questions," said prosecutors' spokesman Mr Zbigniew Jaskolski.
Both Rywin and Mr Miller have denied wrongdoing, but Mr Miller has been criticised for not immediately informing prosecutors after Michnik first told him about the alleged offer in July. - (Reuters)