Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki questions Włodzimierz Czarzasty’s security clearance during a live stream, calling him an “old communist” who should not be Marshal of the Sejm.
Morawiecki Questions Czarzasty’s Security Questionnaire
On Wednesday (February 4), Mateusz Morawiecki organized a live stream on his social media profile where he answered questions from internet users. The first one concerned Włodzimierz Czarzasty. The former prime minister referred to “findings from a journalistic investigation,” claiming the Marshal has contacts with a Russian citizen in his immediate circle whose activities should be of interest to ABW (Internal Security Agency). Morawiecki questioned why Czarzasty had not undergone a normal security questionnaire.
Earlier, ministers from the President’s Chancellery and PiS politicians had stated that Czarzasty had not filled out the security questionnaire. The matter was commented on by the spokesman for the minister coordinator of special services, Jacek Dobrzyński, who stated that Czarzasty has access to information with the highest security classification and that special services have no reservations in this regard.
Morawiecki on Czarzasty: Old Communist
During the live stream, more questions about Czarzasty emerged. When asked how a person from the former communist party PZPR could become Marshal of the Sejm, Morawiecki replied: “This man would not be the Marshal of the Sejm if it weren’t for the current prime minister, Mr. Tusk. Shame on you, Mr. Tusk, shame on you, Mr. Czarzasty.”
Another internet user asked how it was possible that 37 years after partially free elections that ended communism in Poland, the second person in the state is an “old communist.” Morawiecki responded: “Yes, this old communist should not be the Marshal of the Sejm. Absolutely not.”
Czarzasty’s Topic on National Security Council Agenda
Karol Nawrocki convened a meeting of the National Security Council for February 11. The agenda included three points, with the last one causing the most controversy. It concerns explaining “all circumstances of eastern social-business contacts of Marshal of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty.”
The issue stems from publications in right-wing media, including “Gazeta Polska” and TV Republika, which described alleged contacts between Czarzasty and his wife with a Russian citizen involved in an auction house associated with Russia’s largest bank controlled by the Kremlin. The woman is said to own shares in a hotel company where Małgorzata Czarzasty serves as vice-president, with both she and her husband being shareholders of the majority shareholder.
The Marshal of the Sejm responded to these allegations during a press conference on Wednesday (February 4), stating: “I have nothing to be ashamed of.” He also announced that the Sejm Chancellery wants to expand the National Security Council agenda to include points about Karol Nawrocki’s past.
