Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for the minister coordinating Poland’s special services, confirmed the arrests of the MEP and his wife, named by Polish services as Ryszard C. and Emilia H.

“Today at around 4 pm at Warsaw airport, CBA agents detained former MEP Ryszard C. At the same time, his wife Emilia H. was detained in Warsaw,” Dobrzyński wrote on X.

He added: “The investigation conducted jointly by the CBA with the Katowice branch of the National Prosecutor's Office concerns the Collegium Humanum.”

Dobrzyński told Poland’s state news agency, PAP, that this is an ongoing case in which more than a dozen people have already been detained.

Collegium Human scandal

The Collegium scandal first broke in early 2024 when six people were charged by prosecutors for participating in an organized criminal group. The crimes allegedly involved issuing fake postgraduate degrees and accepting related financial and personal benefits.

Collegium Human offers courses that lead to MBA degrees, which can be used to secure top positions, including board seats at state-owned companies.

Among the university’s graduates are politicians, corporate executives, and military officers, according to media reports.

According to the magazine Newsweek, graduates of the college also include his own wife as well as over 50 people who went on to enjoy lucrative positions during the PiS government and the current coalition government.

Mileage claims

In a related controversy, Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza recently reported that Ryszard C. claimed over €203,000 in travel expenses for 243 trips between 2009 and 2013.

According to the daily, the distances he traveled totaled more than five times the Earth's circumference.

In reference to the false mileage claims scandal, Ryszard C. said: “In the course of the case I will prove my innocence.”