Prosecutors Seek to Strip Immunity from Senator Marcin Zawiła

Prosecutors are moving to lift the parliamentary immunity of Civic Coalition Senator Marcin Zawiła over allegations of abuse of power regarding the illegal allocation of public housing in Jelenia Góra.

Immunity Waiver Request

The prosecutor’s office has filed a request to waive the immunity of Marcin Zawiła in connection with an investigation into irregularities in the sale of municipal apartments by Jelenia Góra officials. Zawiła, currently a senator for the Civic Coalition, served as the city’s mayor between 1990–1994 and 2010–2018.

Allegations of Abuse of Power

According to investigators, Zawiła failed to fulfill his duties and exceeded his authority between November 2016 and July 2017. Prosecutors allege he approved the allocation of a municipal apartment to specific individuals, bypassing the required competitive bidding process.

Financial Loss to the City

Investigators claim Zawiła provided biased assessments of the beneficiaries’ financial situations. The property was originally intended for public sale on the open market, but instead, it was rented and subsequently purchased by the tenants with a 99 percent discount, resulting in an estimated loss of nearly 170,000 PLN for the city.

Ongoing Judicial Proceedings

The District Prosecutor’s Office in Wrocław launched the investigation in March 2023. An indictment against five officials and three other individuals was filed last October, though Zawiła’s case was separated due to his parliamentary immunity. Approval from the Senate is required before formal charges can be brought against him.

Career Background

Marcin Zawiła began his career as a teacher in the 1980s before entering politics as mayor of Jelenia Góra in 1990. He served as a member of the Sejm for the Democratic Union and Freedom Union, later leading the local library. Following his second term as mayor from 2010 to 2018, he served in the Lower Silesian Regional Assembly before his election to the Senate in 2023.