President Karol Nawrocki has forwarded an annex to a report on the liquidation of the Military Intelligence Services to Parliament for review, aiming for eventual public release.
Annex to WSI Liquidation Report Sent for Opinion
President Karol Nawrocki submitted the annex to the report on the liquidation of the Military Intelligence Services (WSI) to the Speakers of the Sejm and Senate on Thursday for their opinion. These opinions are formal but not binding.
The President stated that, barring legal objections, he intends to make the annex public.
18 Years of Secrecy
The annex to the WSI liquidation report was created in 2007 and has been held in the secret chancellery of the National Security Bureau for the past 18 years. Previous presidents did not declassify or publish the annex, despite the main report becoming public in February 2007.
No Escalation of Conflict Intended
The process of declassifying the annex is now entering a formal legal phase, directly aimed at its declassification and publication. The decision to declassify and publish the annex is a crucial step in resolving a significant issue from Poland’s post-communist transformation.
President Nawrocki’s decision is described as a national, not political, act. The goal is not to escalate conflict or use the annex for current political battles, but to separate facts from opinions and facilitate a calm, evidence-based reflection on the past.
Background: The WSI Report and Controversies
The report of the so-called verification commission led by Antoni Macierewicz was published in 2007. The commission investigated the Military Intelligence Services, which operated from 1991 to 2006 and were disbanded by the PiS government in late 2006.
The WSI faced numerous allegations, including a lack of vetting of personnel from the former communist era, tolerance of espionage for Russia, involvement in the FOZZ scandal, and illegal arms dealing. Based on the report, investigations were launched into WSI crimes, but most were later dropped.
Constitutional Tribunal Ruling and Previous Presidential Decisions
In 2008, the Constitutional Tribunal ruled that President Kaczyński’s publication of the report in 2007 was legal. However, the Tribunal found that denying individuals mentioned in the report the right to be heard by the verification commission, access to case files, and the right to appeal their inclusion in the report was unconstitutional.
Following this ruling, President Kaczyński did not publish the annex, stating that it contained too many interpretations rather than facts. Presidents Komorowski and Duda maintained similar positions, seeing no reason to disclose the annex.
