Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk alleges Sławomir Cenckiewicz was ousted from the National Security Bureau due to internal conflicts within President Duda’s office.
Cenckiewicz’s Departure and Tusk’s Response
Prior to the European Council meeting in Nicosia, Cyprus, Prime Minister Tusk addressed the resignation of Sławomir Cenckiewicz from the National Security Bureau. Cenckiewicz announced his resignation on Thursday, April 23rd, citing “illegal actions by Tusk’s government” as the reason.
Tusk stated, “Mr. Cenckiewicz, whatever one may think of him, is a fairly honest man who usually lays his cards on the table. That is his advantage, but it also always carries risk, so they finished him off. I suspect who, but I won’t say.”
According to Tusk, the resignation stems from a hidden struggle between individuals associated with the President, and is not a conflict between the government and the President. He added, “For the first time in history, I see someone resigning for this reason. You can always say it’s Tusk’s fault. But I have nothing to do with it. They wanted to get rid of him, they gave him a good pretext, he wrote that it was all Tusk’s doing, and somehow it worked for them.”
Security Clearance Dispute
The background to Cenckiewicz’s departure involves a dispute over his security clearance, which began after the fall of the PiS government. The Military Counterintelligence Service questioned the security questionnaire he submitted several years prior.
An audit reportedly revealed that Cenckiewicz had concealed information about medical treatment he should have disclosed in the questionnaire. Cenckiewicz appealed the decision and won in the first instance. The Prime Minister’s Office appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court, which ruled on April 15, 2026, that he had not concealed significant information and reinstated his access to classified materials.
Following the verdict, Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for the special services coordinator, commented that the court’s final decision concluded the legal and administrative phase, but does not automatically restore Cenckiewicz’s access to classified information, as a verification procedure must be conducted. Cenckiewicz labeled the government’s actions as “blind hatred from Tusk’s team.”
Joining Czarnk’s Campaign
The former head of the BBN has announced his new role: joining the campaign of PiS prime ministerial candidate Przemysław Czarnk. Former Education Minister Czarnk, in an interview with TV Republika, stated he would utilize Cenckiewicz’s security expertise.
Cenckiewicz emphasized that “today the most important thing is to change the government,” and that the seriousness of his former position prevented him from opposing Donald Tusk. “From today, I am no longer constrained,” he added. Presidential spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz announced that Cenckiewicz will function within the President’s Chancellery as Chairman of the Security and Defense Council and will also advise Karol Nawrocki.
