Prosecutor General Seeks Detention and Compulsory Escort of PiS MP Michał Woś

On Thursday afternoon, Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek submitted a motion to the Marshal of the Sejm for the arrest and compulsory escort of PiS MP Michał Woś to the prosecutor’s office.

Prosecutor General Submits Motion for Compulsory Escort

On Thursday afternoon, it was reported that Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek submitted a motion to the Marshal of the Sejm to arrest and forcibly escort PiS MP Michał Woś to the prosecutor’s office.

Press Secretary for the Prosecutor General Anna Adamiak stated that the MP failed to appear four times for prosecutor summonses regarding an abuse of power case when he served as deputy head of the Ministry of Justice dealing with Prison Service matters. The prosecutor deemed only one of the MP’s absences at the hearing as justified. In February, a motion to lift Woś’s immunity was sent to the Sejm, and in May, the MP formally waived his immunity in this case.

Woś Dismisses Motion as a Political Spectacle

Woś commented later on the motion for compulsory escort on the X platform, stating that in the Prison Service case he was in constant contact with the prosecutor’s office. He emphasized that he received the first summons—scheduled for May 28—within the statutory deadline on May 29, noting that the media was informed about the case beforehand.

The MP claimed that for the next three summons dates, he filed an application in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure to conduct the procedural actions in Silesia or in Warsaw. He wrote that he awaited the prosecutor’s decision until the application was reviewed, and received the refusal on the day the prosecutor’s office announced its desire to escort him in handcuffs.

The PiS MP stated that he did not refuse to accept any document from the police and has no knowledge of any phone calls from the prosecutor. He added that in the meantime, he sent five letters to the prosecutor’s office informing them that he wants the case resolved as quickly as possible by a court. He accused Żurek and Tusk of preferring a spectacle to cover up other issues, and added that they will be held accountable for the political use of the prosecutor’s office.

Spokeswoman States Woś Avoided Contact

Adamiak stated in a press release that the MP’s first absence was deemed justified because Woś collected the summons on May 29. Summonses for three subsequent dates were collected by the MP on June 22, and he failed to present circumstances constituting a justification for non-appearance under the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

During a subsequent press conference, she added that the MP did not indicate any circumstances that, in the prosecutor’s opinion, required conducting procedural actions in another unit. The PG spokesperson stated that at the same time, the MP avoided contact with the prosecutor, did not respond to telephone contact attempts, and consistently failed to fulfill the obligation to appear.

Investigation Into Prison Service Nominations

The charges that the prosecutor’s office intends to bring against Woś regarding the Prison Service cover the period from February 2021 to November 2023, when he served as deputy minister of justice.

As Adamiak reported, the case concerns, among other things, issuing personnel orders granting Prison Service officer ranks to four persons, as well as submitting motions to the President of the Republic to grant two of them—Zbyszko N. and Maciej K.—the rank of Prison Service general, despite these persons not meeting statutory conditions for early promotion. She noted that while Woś submitted motions to the then-president for two individuals, neither was granted.

The case also concerns the unjustified consent in December 2022 to appoint Zbyszko N., who was not a Prison Service officer, to the position of advisor to the Director General of the Prison Service and ordering the issuance of an act appointing him to that position, in order to admit him to service in the Central Management of the Prison Service to the highest appointive position, when he did not meet the conditions for permanent service, but only for preparatory service.