Two former Bureau of Government Protection officials now serving in the State Protection Service were formally charged with false testimony on Monday (March 9).
Charges Against Two SOP Officials
The Bialystok Regional Prosecutor’s Office announced that on Monday (March 9), two former Bureau of Government Protection (BOR) officials, who now serve in the State Protection Service (SOP), were charged with giving false testimony.
The case is part of an investigation into irregularities related to a road accident involving former Prime Minister Beata Szydło. The charges concern an offense under Article 233, paragraph 1 of the Penal Code in connection with Article 12, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, for which the penalty ranges from 6 months to 8 years in prison. After the charges were presented, procedural actions were carried out with the suspects.
The Prosecutor’s Office stated that at this stage, no preventive measures have been applied against the suspects. Due to the confidential nature of the interrogations, investigators are not disclosing their procedural position. According to a press release from spokesperson Zbigniew Szpiczko, more information about the investigation will be provided after further proceedings with other suspects are conducted.
The Case of Prime Minister Beata Szydło’s Accident
The accident involving the then Prime Minister’s motorcade occurred in Oswiecim in February 2017. The prosecutor’s office accused Sebastian Kościelnik, the driver of the Seicento car, of causing it. The man was charged in the case just seven hours after the accident. In his opinion, the prosecutor’s office in the proceedings “made many mistakes.” As Kościelnik stated, many irregularities were reported, but they were of no importance to the prosecutor.
In February 2023, the District Court in Krakow conditionally suspended his case for a year. The court also found that the BOR driver contributed to the accident. Following an audit, it was determined that Kościelnik was charged “solely based on evidence in the form of statements by drivers and passengers, completely uncritically accepting their versions of events as correct and true.” It was assessed that investigators ignored the possibility of “failure to fulfill duties by BOR officials.”
In April 2025, investigators reopened the case. The Bialystok Regional Prosecutor’s Office announced that it is proceeding, among other things, in the case of “exceeding authority and failing to fulfill duties by public officials” and “giving false testimony and concealing the truth while making statements as a witness by officials of the then Bureau of Government Protection during proceedings conducted in the preparatory proceedings.”
