On August 28 last year, former Polish justice deputy minister Michał Wosi was charged with misappropriating 25 million zlotys from the Justice Fund for Pegasus software.
Change of Charges for Michał Wosi
On 28 August of the previous year, prosecutors filed charges against former deputy justice minister Michał Wosi concerning the transfer of 25 million zlotys from the Justice Fund to the Central Anti‑Corruption Office (CBA) for purchasing Pegasus software. Prosecutor General’s Office spokesperson Przemysław Nowak later announced modifications to the allegations, stating that the changes involved updating the description of the offense and a substantial legal re‑classification.
Details
According to the spokesperson, the over‑reach of authority stemmed from a contract signed on 29 September 2017 with the head of the CBA, allocating the 25 million zlotys to the office for “special technical means” despite the CBA not meeting the financial‑support criteria. The law stipulates that anti‑corruption services should be funded from the state budget, not from a dedicated fund such as the Justice Fund. The over‑reach also included instructions to the Finance Ministry to disburse the funds to the CBA.
Prosecutor: Misappropriation of Entrusted Property
The failure to perform duties claim centred on the absence of effective control over the proper expenditure of the transferred funds and the unjustified declaration on 15 February 2018 that the grant had been fully accounted for. The prosecutor characterized the suspect’s conduct as misappropriation of entrusted movable property—namely the 25 million zlotys—causing harm to both public and private interests by limiting the availability of fund resources to other entities.
The offense carries a potential prison sentence of up to ten years. Following the announcement of the revised charges, the PiS MP was called for questioning but did not comment on the allegations.
