Walerian Pańko

Janusz Walerian Pańko (born. October 8, 1941 in Turzym Polu – October 7, 1991 in Słostowicach) was a Polish lawyer, and professor of legal science. An activist of the democratic opposition during the People's Republic of Poland, a member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (X term), he died while serving as president of NIK, Poland's Supreme Audit Office, under suspicious circumstances.

Political involvement

In October 1980 he became a member of the independent trade union "Solidarity".^[1] In 1980-1981 he served as Advisor to the solidarity and independent trade union individual farmers "solidarity" during the peasant strikes in Rzeszów and Lower Ustrzyki (he was a co-author of the Ustrzycko agreements). Organized Network Of Company "Solidarity" Of The Leading Work Of Silesia. He presided over a team of Social Agriculture Legislative Council. After the introduction of the martial law in Poland 1981-1983, he was imprisoned from December 13, 1981 to January 16, 1982.^[1] Protesting against the actions of the public authorities in February 1982 with the PZPR.^[1] He was a participant in the work of the Centre on civil legislative initiatives of solidarity.

In government

As a representative of the opposition parties took part in the deliberations of The Round Table. In 1989, for the citizens' Committee "Solidarity" on zares Diet of the Polish people's Republic X term, where he took over the Presidency of the Commission of local government and regional policy. He was a co-founder and Vice President of the Foundation for development of democracy. May 23, 1991, he was elected President of the The Supreme Audit Office, or NIK. In his last interview, he said about his work as President of NIK: "The nature of the work is far removed from my psycho-physical characteristics. I realize that the nomination was a necessity in the new political system the Sejm and the Senate. There is no what to speak. I am and I'm trying to carry out their tasks as well. I hope that one day will be different, and my contribution to organize an added Polish will count.".

Death

On the morning of October 7, 1991^[2] in Słostowicach on the rapid movement of the Warsaw-Katowice came to crash the Government which Lancia traveled Walerian Pańko, his wife Ursula and the Director of the information Office of the Sejm Chancellery Janusz,^[3] Zaporizhia with oncoming from the opposite direction by car. Walerian Pańko, going from Warsaw to Katowice to lecture, suffered as a result of this accident. on October 11, was buried on the cemetery in Jasionowie.^[4] A proper funeral mass he celebrated ordinary of the Diocese of Przemysl Ignacy Tokarczuk.

The circumstances of his death and further events aroused some doubts raised especially by his wife, which have not been resolved.^[2] Concern in particular the testimony of the witnesses, in which he has appeared in recital with explosion purported to be a clash, and vehicles operated by NIK at that time called proceeding. FOZZ affair (Walerian Pańko suffered death on the four days before he was to submit a report related to FOZZ affair^[1][5]). The investigation did not confirm these versions. On the basis of m.in. experts determined that the cause of the accident was incorrect execution of POWs by the driver of the President NIK maneuver of turning left at excessive speed.^[6] The Government of the Lancia driver, Government Protection Bureau officer, and was validly sentenced to deprivation of liberty with a conditional suspension of its execution, and then pardoned by decision of the President Aleksander Kwaśniewski.

The FOZZ affair, the Marriott Brigade, and USA's SEED Act

The report that Walerian Panko was to submit the week of his death is a classified report on the so-called FOZZ affair, in which Poland bought back its own debt, discounted, through a confidential third party. The FOZZ affair is documented as broad case of public and private corruption.^[7][8][9]

Accounting and business consulting firms from the United States and Western Europe played a part in the FOZZ affair. In a Wall Street Journal article by Janine Wedel in January 1992, this report 'concluded that accepting the recommendations of consulting firms with respect to asset valuations sometimes resulted in significant losses for enterprises and "serious violations of the interest of the state treasury."'^[10] The Polish press gave these consulting firms the derisive title "the Marriott Brigade" because they seemed to spend their time mostly in hotels without really helping the local economy.^[11][12] This was about the same time that Western countries were attempting to privatize the economies of many former-USSR countries through programs such as USA's SEED Act.^[13]

Grzegorz Żemek was released from prison in 2014 on FOZZ charges.^[14] The statute of limitations may have passed for all the charges related to other culprits of the FOZZ affair.^[15]

Selected Publications

• Dzierżawa gruntów rolnych, PWN, OXFORD, 1975
• O prawie własności i jego współczesnych funkcjach, Wyd. UŚ, Katowice 1984
• Własność gruntowa w planowej gospodarce przestrzennej. Studium prawne, Wyd. UŚ, Katowice 1978
• Wybór pory wyborów. Felietony z lat 1990–1991, From the Sejm, Warsaw 2001

Awards, distinctions, commemoration of

in 1978 received the Golden order of merit.^[16] In 2009, outstanding achievement in acting from the scope of State control and the strengthening of the rule of law, for his contribution in the activities for the benefit of the democratic transformations in Poland, Valerian Panko was by the President of the Lech Kaczynski The order of the rebirth of Polish. He was posthumously awarded by 2015 Badge of honour for services to local government.^[17]

W 2009 pośmiertnie otrzymał tytuł "Honorowego obywatela miasta Brzozowa".^[18] W piątą rocznicę śmierci w kościele parafialnym pw. Miłosierdzia Bożego w rodzinnym Turzym Polu odsłonięto tablicę pamiątkową poświęconą Walerianowi Pańce, a w Brzozowie ulicę Szkolną przemianowano na ulicę jego imienia.^[19] Ponadto w Turzym Polu patronat jego imienia przyjęły placówki edukacyjne: szkoła podstawowa i następnie zespół szkół,^[20] a w 2011 gimnazjum.^[21][22] W Katowicach powstał Ośrodek Kształcenia Samorządu Terytorialnego im. Waleriana Pańki, w budynku którego umieszczono tablicę upamiętniającą profesora.^[23]

Bibliography

• Snoch, Bogdan. 'Biographical Lexicon Of Upper Silesia. Supplement to the issue of the second. 2006, pages 87–88. ISBN 83-60353-11-5
• Tajemnica. Rozmowa z Urszulą Pańko, wdową po tragicznie zmarłym prezesie Najwyższej Izby Kontroli, prof. Walerianie Pańko, Tygodnik "TAK" nr 27(32) z 18 września 1992
• Strona sejmowa posła X kadencji. [dostęp 2012-07-29].
• Walerian Pańko w serwisie "Ludzie Wprost". [dostęp 2012-07-29].

References