Opposition calls for dismissal of PKN Orlen CEO

Poland's opposition are calling for the dismissal of Daniel Obajtek as CEO of the country's biggest fuels firm, PKN Orlen.

Bogdan Klich, a senator from Civic Coalition (KO), Poland's main opposition grouping, made the call on Monday at a press conference, after stating that fuel prices in Poland were among the highest in the EU.

"You have been lied to by the government and the Orlen management, that fuel in Poland is the cheapest," Klich said. "Fuel in Poland is among the most expensive in the whole of the European Union."

Klich went on to say that Poland was one of the worst countries in the EU in terms of the amount people spend on fuel.

"When it comes to the purchasing power of the Polish zloty, fuels in Poland are fifth in terms of price on the EU scale," he explained.

He said parliamentarians from Civic Platform (PO) party, the backbone party of the KO grouping, were calling for Obajtek's dismissal and the removal by the prime minister of all people responsible for the company's supervision.

Opposition MPs are also awaiting the results of actions by competition watchdog UOKiK, launched on January 4, to clarify prices on the fuels market.

Klich said the government would be looking after citizens' interests rather than those of their party, if they had reduced fuel prices at the moment prices fell on international markets.

KO MP Aleksander Miszalski said the ruling Law and Justice party had lied to the public by saying Orlen worked in their interests, stabilising prices to prevent shocks.

Orlen is facing accusations that it made unjustified hikes to fuel prices in Poland.