A Warsaw court has agreed to the temporary arrest of a former judge on espionage charges after he fled to Belarus and applied for political asylum.
Artur Kaznowski from the National Prosecution Office said that the court had agreed with prosecutors that the evidence against Tomasz Sz. strongly supported charges that he had helped a foreign intelligence service.
Speaking on Wednesday after leaving the courtroom, Kaznowski said: “The court has fully granted the prosecutor’s request to apply this measure for a period of three months.”
He added that there were also “special grounds supporting the need for the arrest, including the risk of harsh penalties, concerns about interference, flight, and hiding, so in its entirety, the proposal was agreed to.
“[Tomasz] Sz. will now be sought at the national level and, once the documentation is received by the prosecution, a letter of indictment will be issued immediately and an application for a European Arrest Warrant will be formulated and sent to the district court.”
However, the likelihood of Tomasz Sz. being arrested is slim, as he is likely to remain in Belarus or Russia for fear of prosecution, while the two regimes have welcomed him as he has proved useful to the propaganda of the Kremlin and Minsk.
The proceedings are being conducted under a provision of the Criminal Code regarding participation in the activities of a foreign intelligence service and providing it with information that could cause damage to Poland.
The case is also being investigated by the security services.
The fugitive judge’s immunity from prosecution was lifted on Thursday by the disciplinary court at the Supreme Administrative Court (NSA).
The case became public when Sz. appeared at a propaganda press conference in Minsk, Belarus, on May 6.
The Belarusian state news agency Belta reported that he had asked the Belarusian authorities for “care and protection.”
Speaking on Wednesday after leaving the courtroom, Kaznowski said: “The court has fully granted the prosecutor’s request to apply this measure for a period of three months.”
He added that there were also “special grounds supporting the need for the arrest, including the risk of harsh penalties, concerns about interference, flight, and hiding, so in its entirety, the proposal was agreed to.
“[Tomasz] Sz. will now be sought at the national level and, once the documentation is received by the prosecution, a letter of indictment will be issued immediately and an application for a European Arrest Warrant will be formulated and sent to the district court.”
However, the likelihood of Tomasz Sz. being arrested is slim, as he is likely to remain in Belarus or Russia for fear of prosecution, while the two regimes have welcomed him as he has proved useful to the propaganda of the Kremlin and Minsk.
The proceedings are being conducted under a provision of the Criminal Code regarding participation in the activities of a foreign intelligence service and providing it with information that could cause damage to Poland.
The case is also being investigated by the security services.
The fugitive judge’s immunity from prosecution was lifted on Thursday by the disciplinary court at the Supreme Administrative Court (NSA).
The case became public when Sz. appeared at a propaganda press conference in Minsk, Belarus, on May 6.
The Belarusian state news agency Belta reported that he had asked the Belarusian authorities for “care and protection.”
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