Innovation on paper, millions behind the scenes
On June 30, 2026, officers of the CBA Delegation in Gdańsk detained four men and a woman in the regions of Lesser Poland, Silesia, and Masovia. The detainees operated, among other things, in the geophysical and geological services industry. According to findings, they secured funding from the European Regional Development Fund under the Intelligent Development Operational Programme 2014–2020.
The project sounded extremely ambitious. It concerned the development of technology for locating, extracting, and disposing of submerged toxic weapons using a mobile floating installation. The problem was not the purpose of the venture, but the way it was accounted for.
Investigators claim that company representatives acted together to achieve financial gain. As a result, they led the National Center for Research and Development to an unfavorable disposition of assets.
The document was supposed to confirm progress. According to investigators, it confirmed something else
The evidence material covers activities from 2023–2024. During this time, company representatives were supposed to submit unreliable statements regarding the material and financial progress of the project.
It involved, among other things, information about the costs of acquiring the system. The documentation was meant to justify the disbursement of funding, but according to investigators, it did not reflect the actual course of the investment.
The scale is significant. The suspects' actions exposed the National Center for Research and Development to a loss exceeding 7.5 million PLN. CBA searched dozens of locations. Officers from the Gdańsk, Warsaw, and Katowice delegations participated. They secured extensive documentation and electronic equipment. These materials can show how documents circulated, who made decisions, and on what basis subsequent stages of the project were accounted for.
Two arrests and a investigation that is just gaining momentum
After the detention, all five were transferred to the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Gdańsk. The suspects faced charges including the procurement of subsidies and fraud involving high-value assets. For two individuals, the prosecutor applied for a three‑month temporary arrest. The court granted the request.
The remaining suspects were subject to financial guarantees, police supervision, a ban on contacting certain persons, and a ban on leaving the country linked to passport confiscation.
This is the third implementation within this preparatory proceeding. The investigation is developmental, and the authorities plan further procedural actions. This means that current detentions may only be another stage of a broader proceeding.
