On Thursday, the Warsaw Metropolitan District Prosecutor’s Office filed criminal complaints against former MSWiA chiefs Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik for allegedly violating a court-ordered ban on holding public office.
Complaint Filed
The Warsaw Metropolitan District Prosecutor’s Office sent criminal complaints to the District Court for Warsaw‑Śródmieście, accusing Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik of failing to comply with a court order that prohibited them from holding public positions. The prosecutors allege that the politicians illegally participated in parliamentary sessions and committee votes on 21 and 28 December 2023 in Warsaw, breaching the ban. Both defendants face potential imprisonment ranging from three months to five years.
Ban for Kamiński and Wąsik
The opposition MPs had been barred from public office for five years and received a two‑year prison sentence following a former judicial ruling tied to the “grout affair,” during which both served as heads of the MSWiA and CBA. Kamiński and Wąsik rejected the decision, attending parliamentary sessions and refusing to accept the loss of their mandates. Their continued participation in parliamentary activities triggered the new criminal complaints.
Arrest at Presidential Palace
Both former officials, citing a 2015 presidential pardon and a Supreme Court decision that annulled the parliamentary speaker’s revocation of their mandates, contested the court’s ruling. On 9 January 2024, the ex‑ministers spent several hours at the Presidential Palace. Later that evening, they were taken into custody at the Palace, in the absence of President Duda, who was meeting the Belarusian opposition leader Cichanoska at that time.