Polish PM Donald Tusk has announced plans to introduce legislation establishing an investigative commission to scrutinize Russian and Belarusian influence in Polish affairs.
The new interior minister, Tomasz Siemoniak, has drafted the bill under which a new “constitutional and effective” commission would be set up, Tusk conveyed on Friday.
The proposed legislation will be deliberated during a meeting of the Security Agencies Council on Friday afternoon.
Tusk said on Thursday that the commission on Russian influence would be set up again and would “investigate very thoroughly Russian, Belarusian influences on the United Right governments.”
The United Right was the ruling coalition in 2015–2023, and Law and Justice (PiS) was its main party.
The commission’s initial establishment was initiated by the PiS party last year and covered the period from 2007 to 2022, encompassing Tusk’s previous administration.
The original guise of the commission had the power to bar politicians from public office if they were found to have been operating under Russian influence, and on August 30, 2023, candidates for the commission were nominated by the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, all of whom were chosen by PiS.
This move sparked criticism from the then opposition parties, the EU and the U.S., as it was claimed that this assembly could be used as a political tool to exclude Donald Tusk from the parliamentary election process in October later that year.
On November 29, the commission recommended disqualifying Tusk and several former cabinet members from holding public positions due to their alleged connections with the Russian Security Service (FSB) during the years 2010–2014. Subsequently, the Sejm dismissed the commission members.
Recent events, including a Polish judge seeking asylum in Belarus and subsequent legal proceedings, have underscored the significance of discussions within the Security Agencies Council.
The disciplinary court lifted Szmydt’s immunity and authorized his detention and the use of temporary custody against him on Thursday.
The Security Agencies Council, an advisory body operating within the Council of Ministers, oversees various security services, including the Internal Security Agency, the Intelligence Agency, and the Military Counterintelligence Service, among others.
The proposed legislation will be deliberated during a meeting of the Security Agencies Council on Friday afternoon.
Tusk said on Thursday that the commission on Russian influence would be set up again and would “investigate very thoroughly Russian, Belarusian influences on the United Right governments.”
The United Right was the ruling coalition in 2015–2023, and Law and Justice (PiS) was its main party.
The commission’s initial establishment was initiated by the PiS party last year and covered the period from 2007 to 2022, encompassing Tusk’s previous administration.
The original guise of the commission had the power to bar politicians from public office if they were found to have been operating under Russian influence, and on August 30, 2023, candidates for the commission were nominated by the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, all of whom were chosen by PiS.
This move sparked criticism from the then opposition parties, the EU and the U.S., as it was claimed that this assembly could be used as a political tool to exclude Donald Tusk from the parliamentary election process in October later that year.
On November 29, the commission recommended disqualifying Tusk and several former cabinet members from holding public positions due to their alleged connections with the Russian Security Service (FSB) during the years 2010–2014. Subsequently, the Sejm dismissed the commission members.
Recent events, including a Polish judge seeking asylum in Belarus and subsequent legal proceedings, have underscored the significance of discussions within the Security Agencies Council.
The disciplinary court lifted Szmydt’s immunity and authorized his detention and the use of temporary custody against him on Thursday.
The Security Agencies Council, an advisory body operating within the Council of Ministers, oversees various security services, including the Internal Security Agency, the Intelligence Agency, and the Military Counterintelligence Service, among others.
Source: TVP World, PAP
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