Marcin Romanowski, a former deputy minister of justice, has been stripped of his immunity and will now face 11 charges of misusing funds earmarked to support victims of crimes.
Romanowski, who served in the previous Law and Justice government (PiS), lost his immunity earlier today following a series of votes conducted in the Lower House (Sejm).
Romanowski’s lawyer, Bartosz Lewandowski, took to X to say that his client would voluntarily appear at the National Prosecutor’s Office “in the near future” despite contesting the allegations made against him. However, the decision could be taken out of his hands.
According to some reports, Romanowski could be apprehended today after the Sejm also approved a decision to detain him in pre-trial detention to prevent him from “obstructing proceedings”.
The news has set alarm bells ringing in the ranks of Law and Justice with many opposition figures claiming the party has been targeted as part of a political witch hunt.
In June, another former deputy minister of justice, Michał Woś, also saw his immunity lifted, a fate that could await more opposition politicians as the ruling coalition continues to deliver on its pledge to bring to account those it deems guilty of abusing power.
On Monday, National Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk said “this is certainly not the end when it comes to applications to lift immunity of Polish MPs and senators”.
Among the allegations made against Romanowski, it is claimed that around 112 million złotys - intended for victims of crime - were instead funneled to entities associated with the United Right (Zjednoczona Prawica), the church and the controversial priest Tadeusz Rydzyk.
Another 200 million złotys are alleged to have been sunk into Sovereign Poland’s (Suwerenna Polska) election campaign, a Catholic nationalist party led by Zbigniew Ziobro.
However, the most serious charge contends that Romanowski was part of “an organized criminal group”.
In what has proved to be a grim day for Poland’s opposition, Mariusz Błaszczak, who served as the Minister of National Defense between 2018 and 2023, has also been stripped of his immunity.
The motion was filed by a former operational commander of the Armed Forces, General Tomasz Piotrowski, who has accused Błaszczak of slander. In December 2022, a Russian missile landed 15 kilometers Bydgoszcz but was not discovered until months later by a member of the public.
According to Błaszczak, General Piotrowski failed to inform him of the incident, something that Piotrowski has strenuously denied.
Romanowski’s lawyer, Bartosz Lewandowski, took to X to say that his client would voluntarily appear at the National Prosecutor’s Office “in the near future” despite contesting the allegations made against him. However, the decision could be taken out of his hands.
According to some reports, Romanowski could be apprehended today after the Sejm also approved a decision to detain him in pre-trial detention to prevent him from “obstructing proceedings”.
The news has set alarm bells ringing in the ranks of Law and Justice with many opposition figures claiming the party has been targeted as part of a political witch hunt.
In June, another former deputy minister of justice, Michał Woś, also saw his immunity lifted, a fate that could await more opposition politicians as the ruling coalition continues to deliver on its pledge to bring to account those it deems guilty of abusing power.
On Monday, National Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk said “this is certainly not the end when it comes to applications to lift immunity of Polish MPs and senators”.
Among the allegations made against Romanowski, it is claimed that around 112 million złotys - intended for victims of crime - were instead funneled to entities associated with the United Right (Zjednoczona Prawica), the church and the controversial priest Tadeusz Rydzyk.
Another 200 million złotys are alleged to have been sunk into Sovereign Poland’s (Suwerenna Polska) election campaign, a Catholic nationalist party led by Zbigniew Ziobro.
However, the most serious charge contends that Romanowski was part of “an organized criminal group”.
In what has proved to be a grim day for Poland’s opposition, Mariusz Błaszczak, who served as the Minister of National Defense between 2018 and 2023, has also been stripped of his immunity.
The motion was filed by a former operational commander of the Armed Forces, General Tomasz Piotrowski, who has accused Błaszczak of slander. In December 2022, a Russian missile landed 15 kilometers Bydgoszcz but was not discovered until months later by a member of the public.
According to Błaszczak, General Piotrowski failed to inform him of the incident, something that Piotrowski has strenuously denied.
Source: Gazeta Wyborcza / Gazeta Prawna
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