Politics

Prosecutor issues arrest warrant for fugitive ex-judge suspected of espionage

Poland’s prosecutor has issued an arrest warrant for a former judge who fled to Belarus and is now suspected of having worked for a foreign intelligence service.

On Wednesday, a Warsaw district court approved the prosecutor's request for Tomasz Szmydt’s temporary arrest for three months.

“Szmydt will now be sought at the national level, and upon receiving the documentation, the arrest warrant will be issued promptly. A request for a European Arrest Warrant will then be formulated and sent to the Warsaw District Court,” prosecutor Artur Kaznowski said.

The case became public when Szmydt, officially on leave from April 22 to May 10, appeared at a propaganda press conference in Minsk, Belarus, on May 6.

Soon after, the National Prosecutor's Office began verifying the information regarding Szmydt's political asylum request in Belarus.

Later, the Penal Code provision regarding involvement in foreign intelligence activities and providing information that could harm Poland led to the launch of an investigation.

Last week, the Disciplinary Court at the Supreme Administrative Court lifted Szmydt’s immunity, suspended him from his duties, authorized his detention, and approved his temporary arrest.
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