In a recent decision, the Warsaw‑Mokotów District Court has dismissed the Polish‑related fraud allegations in the case against former MP and former Transport Minister Sławomir Nowak, leaving the prosecution to decide whether to appeal.
Charges Against Nowak
In December 2021, the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw filed a criminal complaint against Sławomir Nowak and 14 others, accusing him of 17 separate offenses. Prosecutors claimed that, while serving as president of the Ukrainian state road agency Ukrawtodor, Nowak demanded and accepted bribes in exchange for facilitating contracts for road repairs in Ukraine. They also alleged that, during his tenure as chief of staff to former Prime Minister Donald Tusk (2007‑2009) and as Minister of Transport (2011‑2013), he accepted bribes to secure positions and contracts for state‑owned Polish companies. Additional accusations included receiving money for arranging meetings between a developer company and Gdańsk authorities and encouraging a doctor to issue medical certificates for him. Nowak was in custody from July 2020 to April 2021.
Polish‑Related Allegations Dropped
According to the prosecutor’s office, the District Court for Warsaw‑Mokotów has dismissed the Polish thread of the case, noting that the indictment was unfounded in this regard. The decision covered three of the 17 alleged crimes. Nowak released a statement on X expressing a “bitter satisfaction” that justice is slowly catching up, though he said it was not the end of his struggle.
Prosecutor Decides Whether to Appeal
District Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk said on the radio that the decision is not yet final and that the prosecutor will determine whether to bring an appeal. He noted that there were no conclusive evidence proving the four alleged offenses, as the Polish thread relied solely on a single witness’s deposition that was not corroborated by other evidence. Korneluk emphasized that the Ukrainian thread concerning 13 crimes would continue.
Political Career
Sławomir Nowak served as a member of the Sejm representing the Civic Platform from 2004‑2010 and 2011‑2015. He was appointed Minister of Transport in Donald Tusk’s cabinet in 2011 but resigned in 2013 amid accusations of irregularities in his asset declarations. In 2014 he was wrongly convicted by a first‑instance court and fined for failing to declare a watch worth over PLN 20 000, a decision later partially acquitted. He voluntarily relinquished his parliamentary mandate in 2015. That same year, the Warsaw District Court conditionally dismissed the proceedings against him, admitting guilt but deeming the case of lesser importance. In 2016 he became president of the Ukrainian state roads agency Ukrawtodor, a post he held until 2019.
