Three people were detained January 19, 2026, in Kraków in connection with a bribery scheme involving a presidential pardon.
Investigation Details
On January 19, 2026, officers from the Internal Security Agency delegation in Kraków detained three individuals as part of an investigation by the Lesser Poland Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor’s Office. The case involves suspected invocation of influence in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland and accepting/accepting financial benefits in exchange for mediation in obtaining a presidential pardon.
According to the communication, in January 2018 in Wisła, part of the agreed amount was transferred as a deposit of 90,000 zł. These funds were intended as part of the agreed remuneration for undertaking mediation in the case.
Suspects and Charges
The detained individuals are Tomasz R., Monika K. T., and Dominik G. The prosecutor has presented charges of invoking influence in the Chancellery of the President of Poland and providing/accepting financial benefits for arranging a presidential pardon.
Additionally, one of the suspects faces a separate charge of “presenting pornographic content involving an animal.”
Legal Proceedings
On the prosecutor’s request, the court applied a preventive measure of “temporary arrest for a three-month period” to two suspects. For the third detained person, the prosecutor applied non-custodial preventive measures.
During the proceedings, “testimonies from a protected witness” were utilized. The suspects “face a sentence of up to 12 years imprisonment” for the alleged offenses.
