President Karol Nawrocki has called the minister in charge of special services and agency heads to discuss concerns about Marshal of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty.
President’s Request for Private Meeting
During a press briefing, President’s spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz announced that during the National Security Council meeting, Marshal of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty did not answer questions from Karol Nawrocki. Prime Minister Donald Tusk also did not participate in that portion of the meeting, and there were no unequivocal answers from the minister coordinator for special services Tomasz Siemoniak.
In light of these doubts, the president has invited the minister coordinator for special services and the heads of special services to the Presidential Palace for a very detailed discussion in a small group, maintaining the highest standards of state secrecy.
Constitutional Concerns
The key issue is not specifically about Włodzimierz Czarzasty, but rather concerns about extremely important constitutional matters, Leśkiewicz explained. This relates to the past and social-business connections of the second person in the state, who under Article 131 of the Polish constitution could assume power if the president is temporarily unable to perform duties.
The spokesperson emphasized that the matter requires “deep and very constructive explanations.”
Reactions from Those Involved
After the meeting, Czarzasty called the situation a “setup.” Minister Siemoniak explained that he could not reveal the information requested by the president during the National Security Council meeting, stating that a 30-person group is not appropriate for sharing such sensitive information as the minister coordinator.
Sejm Chancellery’s Position
The Sejm Chancellery published a communication stating that Czarzasty undergoes stricter and permanent control than any questionnaire procedures would require. The Chancellery emphasized that Czarzasty has access to strictly confidential information by law and is under constant counterintelligence protection.
As the second person in the state who contacts special services chiefs, Czarzasty himself requested additional counterintelligence verification of his contacts and received a clear response: there are absolutely no objections. This fact was publicly confirmed by special services coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak.
Questionnaire Clarification
The Sejm Chancellery explained that Czarzasty does not fill out the questionnaires mentioned in the media because they are intended for people with lower clearance levels. It was noted that if the Marshal of the Sejm had requested verification from the Internal Security Agency, they would have had to refuse due to regulations in the law on protection of classified information.
