Polish opposition MP Roman Giertych accused PiS MP Maria Kurowska of manipulating Justice Fund funds, sparking shouting on the parliamentary floor and prompting the speaker to promise a review.
Giertych Questions Kurowska’s Emails
On the first day of the Sejm session, opposition MP Roman Giertych addressed irregularities in the funding of the Justice Fund.
He cited recent accusations that the Sejm Office had sent emails indicating a requirement to consult spending in the district of MP Maria Kurowska, and said PiS had announced at a conference that a crime might have been committed. Giertych asked the marshal to investigate whether those emails were indeed sent.
During the debate, MPs on the right shouted and tried to drown out Giertych, while those on the left applauded him.
Kurowska Lacks Voting Right in Sejm
Giertych concluded by claiming the Justice Fund scandal led to the loss of two Law and Justice MPs.
Marshal Włodzimierz Czarzasty assured that the issue would be examined. Maria Kurowska approached the floor to issue a statement, but the marshal denied her request and asked her to leave. PiS politicians shouted at the marshal, who explained that a statement is only made when correcting a statement that has been spoken.
Kurowska did not take any position on the matter.
Media on the Kurowska Case
Late November, Onet reported that Maria Kurowska, then an active member of Law and Justice, had influenced the allocation of grants from the Justice Fund. According to the portal, in July 2020 she sent a message to former Justice Fund director Tomasz Mraz: “Bardzo proszę, aby żadne umowy z gminami nie były podpisywane bez konsultacji ze mną w powiecie jasielskim i krośnieńskim. Pozdrawiam. MK” (roughly, “Please ensure no agreements with municipalities are signed without consulting me in the Jasło and Krosno districts. Best regards. MK”).
In other emails, she reportedly named specific municipalities and institutions and suggested amounts to be allocated. The messages also urged Justice Fund employees to expedite matters concerning volunteer fire brigades and hospitals. In April 2020 she wrote to Mraz: “Mam kilka zaległych tematów z gminami … Wszystko było uzgodniane z szefem MR. Brzostek jest na tapecie i za to dziękuję. Dalej prosiłabym gminę Dukla pow. Krosno igminę Brzyska pow. Jasło. Serdecznie pozdrawiam, zdrowia i satysfakcji z pracy życzę! Maria Kurowska.”
Kurowska has consistently denied sending these emails.