Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has ordered a ramp-up of the investigation into suspicious activity at Warsaw-listed Orlen, the country's state-controlled energy and fuel giant. 

The controversy centres on a PLN1.6bn ($370mn) loss incurred by Orlen's Swiss subsidiary, Orlen Swiss Trading (OTS), in a crude oil supply deal.

According to the Polish news website Onet, Daniel Obajtek, Orlen's CEO from 2018 to 2024, allegedly disregarded warnings from the company's security team about Samer A., a Lebanese national hired by Obajtek to head OTS. 

Orlen's suspected team suspected Samer A. of "having ties to the terrorist organisation Hezbollah and involvement in illegal oil trade with Iran," Onet reported. 

Despite these concerns, Obajtek reportedly appointed Samer A. to lead OTS.

Samer A. is believed to be responsible for a crude oil supply deal with an unfamiliar trader, whom Orlen prepaid for a supply that was never delivered. The company has since reported the loss and admitted the chances to recover the funds are slim.

The investigation comes after the new government, led by Tusk, replaced Orlen's leadership. 

Tusk has now personally requested a meeting with the prosecutor general and the coordinator of intelligence services to discuss the huge loss and potential Hezbollah links.

"Poles must know the truth," Tusk declared in a post on X. This echoes his earlier warnings in March about OTS potentially exposing Poland to "very serious problems".

Obajtek's rise to power at Orlen in late 2015 coincided with the Law and Justice (PiS) party's election victory. He was seen as a politically motivated appointment, a common practice when Polish parties take control of state-owned companies.

Under Obajtek's leadership, Orlen expanded aggressively, acquiring smaller competitor Lotos, energy company Energa, and gas giant PGNiG. He also courted controversy in 2021 by purchasing Polska Press, a regional media group, and replacing its editors to align with PiS's political agenda.

Obajtek is currently running for a seat in the upcoming European Parliament elections. As the leading candidate for PiS in their south-eastern stronghold region, he is almost guaranteed to win a seat in Strasbourg.

Responding to Tusk's accusations and the Onet report, Obajtek denied any wrongdoing. "Prime minister, you’re searching for scandals where none exist,” he said on X.

Orlen's stock price rose 1.19% to PLN68.12 on April 29 on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.