PM's aide filmed offering favours to lure MP

WARSAW - Poland was yesterday rocked by its second political crisis in a week when a senior aide to the Prime Minister was filmed secretly offering inducements to persuade an MP to switch political parties.

The row could deal a fatal blow to Jaroslaw Kaczynski's right-wing Government, and bring elections.

Last week the Polish Prime Minister - whose twin brother, Lech, is Poland's President - unceremoniously sacked the Deputy Premier, Andrzej Lepper, leader of the ultra-nationalist Self-Defence Party.

That acrimonious row broke apart the ruling coalition and deprived Kaczynski's Law and Justice Party of its parliamentary majority.

The drama that engulfed Warsaw yesterday emerged from efforts by Law and Justice to lure enough MPs from rival parties to stay in power.

Unbeknown to the Prime Minister's chef de cabinet, Adam Lipinski, his two meetings with Renata Beger, an MP from Lepper's Self-Defence Party, were filmed secretly.

Footage of the encounters, in a hotel room next to the Parliament building in Warsaw, was being screened on Polish TV yesterday.

It shows Lipinski exploring with Beger what post she would want if she were to switch parties.

"Secretary of State in the Agriculture Ministry, yes?" he asked. "You know, this is not a problem at all."

- INDEPENDENT