Film producer jailed

Lew Rywin, the Polish co-producer of the Oscar-winning Schindler’s List and The Pianist, was found guilty of fraud charges in a bribery scandal in Warsaw and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

Rywin, 58, remained free pending an expected appeal against Warsaw provincial court’s verdict, which also includes an €18,100 fine.

The Warsaw provincial court ruled that Rywin falsely claimed he represented Prime Minister Leszek Miller when he allegedly sought a €12.1m bribe from Agora, publisher of the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper, in 2002.

His offer in exchange to lobby for changes to a proposed media law that would enable Agora to buy a nationwide broadcaster also was a misrepresentation, the three-judge panel ruled.

The scandal prompted Rywin’s five-month trial and an investigation by parliament which fuelled speculation about corruption in high places. Rywin has denied the charges, claiming he was set up by Agora.