The Central Anticorruption Office (CBA) will obtain direct access to data on 25 million citizens gathered by the public Social Insurance Company (ZUS) under a decree recently issued by Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński. Some lawyers say this is against the constitution and a law on personal data protection. However, both the CBA and ZUS insist the new rules are constitutional and perfectly legal.

The CBA is expected to gain full access to all personal data gathered by ZUS, including citizens' work and pay history and sick leave. ZUS holds Poland's biggest database on individuals and companies.

Until recently, whenever the CBA wanted to obtain data on an individual or company from ZUS, it had to make a special request. Now the CBA will be the only security service to enjoy permanent and direct access to the ZUS database. ZUS press officer Jacek Dziekan said the CBA would have no access to sensitive data such as medical information. He added that many other institutions also had access to ZUS data, including courts, the police, the Internal Security Agency (ABW), the central auditing office (NIK), local centers assisting families, and court-appointed enforcement officers. The only difference is that access will now be easier thanks to a special IT system.

Tomasz Frątczak, a director at the CBA, said the new regulations would make it easier to check property statements submitted by public officials and deputies.