Poland detains former Interior Ministry chiefs: protests begin in Warsaw
Kyiv • UNN
In Poland, the former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mariusz Kaminski, and his deputy, Maciej Wonsik, were detained, after which Warsaw began protests attended by hundreds of supporters of the detainees.
Last night, on January 9, former Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski and his deputy Maciej Wonsik were detained in the Polish presidential palace. This was reported by RMF24, according to UNN.
Details
Last December, a second instance court sentenced the politicians to two years in prison for a 2007 corruption case.
Nevertheless, the detention of the two MPs led to spontaneous protests in Warsaw near the presidential palace and the police station.
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It is noted that after the December court decision, Sejm Marshal Shimon Holovnya said that these two former high-ranking officials were deprived of parliamentary immunity.
Later, he also noted that their parliamentary certificates had been revoked and they could not participate in parliamentary sessions. Kaminsky and Vonsik do not recognize this and stated that they plan to continue to participate in parliamentary sessions.
Eventually on January 9, Polish Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General Adam Bodnar confirmed that the court's decision was clear and that police were already searching for Kaminski and Wonsik to detain them and bring them to a penitentiary.
However, the former officials were in the presidential palace. They also emphasized that they were not hiding from the justice system, but were simply staying with the president of the country.
In the evening, the police arrived at the presidential palace in the absence of President Duda, detained two politicians and took them to a penitentiary in Warsaw.
Addendum
The Presidential Office of Poland stated that Duda does not agree with the actions of the Sejm and government leadership. The head of the Presidential Office, Grażyna Ignaczak-Bandykh, said that Duda would address a letter to the heads of state and international institutions, declaring that the current Polish executive and legislative branches violate the laws and the Constitution of Poland.
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Polish President Andrzej Duda emphasizes that his 2015 pardon of Kaminski and Wonsik is still in force, so they cannot be sent to prison.
The publication notes that after Kaminski and Wonsik were detained by the police near the presidential palace and a penitentiary, spontaneous rallies of Law and Justice supporters took place in Warsaw, attended by hundreds of people.
PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski noted that Kaminski and Wonsik have become political prisoners, and the current Polish government is violating the laws and the constitution of the country.
Context
In 2015, the court of first instance sentenced Kaminsky and Vonsik to three years in prison for corruption in the so-called 2007 land scam.
They were convicted of abuse of power, but President Duda pardoned them in 2015 before the verdict came into force.
In 2017, the Supreme Court of Poland declared Duda's move invalid, as the pardon came into force before the verdict came into force.
In December 2023, the court of second instance sentenced Kaminsky and Vonsik to two years in prison, and the sentence came into force.
Recall
Poland's Minister of Culture announced the liquidation of state television, radio and news agencies following the president's decision to suspend their funding.