President Karol Nawrocki has initiated a “presidential mode” for granting pardons, with four new cases now under consideration alongside previous humanitarian decisions.
Previous Pardon Decisions
President Karol Nawrocki’s previous pardon decisions include three individuals: an 85-year-old widow convicted of fraud, a man with severe oncological illnesses following an accident, and a father caring for his wife in her terminal illness phase.
“Presidential Mode” in Pardon Process
The new initiative by the president is based on the so-called presidential mode, resulting from Article 567 § 2 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. This article states that “the Prosecutor General presents the President of the Republic of Poland with case files or initiates a procedure for pardon ex officio in every case when the President decides so.” Unlike the judicial path, in this case, the head of state personally initiates the process, demanding full documentation from law enforcement agencies.
Four New Cases with Public Figures
According to the newspaper’s findings, two of the four most recent decisions concern recognizable individuals, which arouses particular public interest. Prosecutor Anna Adamiak, spokesperson for the Prosecutor General, confirmed that: “Four decisions of the President of the Republic were received at the National Prosecutor’s Office in four separate pardon proceedings concerning four convicted persons.” The spokesperson emphasized, however, that at this stage, “We do not disclose the data of convicted persons covered by these proceedings,” and after receiving the files from the courts, they will be “immediately forwarded to the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland.”
“Humanitarian Pardons” and Absence of Adam Borowski
Earlier decisions by the president on February 2 concerned cases of a strictly humanitarian nature, which may have aimed to quiet controversy around alleged political pardons. The head of the president’s office, Paweł Szefernaker, explained that “these are ordinary Poles in dramatic situations and in all three cases there are positive court evaluations and exceptionally difficult family or health circumstances.” Among those pardoned was an “over 85-year-old sick widow,” for whom a “pardon for humanitarian reasons” was granted due to “very poor health, advanced age, repentance, and good opinions.”
Adam Borowski Case Still Under Consideration
Although Adam Borowski did not appear among the four persons whose files were submitted in February, Karol Nawrocki confirmed on Telewizja Republika that he is examining his case. At the end of January, the activist met with the head of the chancellery, Zbigniew Bogucki, who declared on platform X: “Today I met with Mr. Adam Borowski – an exceptional man and a great Polish patriot. Communism did not break him, and we will not allow them to break him now.” This suggests that the president may take separate steps soon to pardon this opposition activist, convicted of defamation of Roman Giertych.