Poland’s Prosecutor General and Justice Minister, Adam Bodnar, is expected to announce his decision on the pardon of two Members of Parliament who were sentenced in a matter of days, according to statements from his deputy.
Deputy Justice Minister Krzysztof Smiszek informed the public through private broadcaster TVN24 on Sunday that Bodnar is currently acquainting himself with extensive case records. Smiszek noted that it will take a few additional days for the prosecutor general to reach a decision regarding the suspension of the prison sentences handed to the Law and Justice (PiS) politicians.
“It won’t be weeks or months,” assured Smiszek, emphasizing that the case would follow due process, with no undue delays or hastening. He stated, “No one will prolong, postpone, or expedite” the case, and assured of adhering to proper procedures.
Smiszek explained the complexity of the matter, stating, “The prosecutor general is simply doing his job and familiarising himself with dozens of volumes of case files. The justification of the sentence alone is several hundred pages long. These are serious matters, which must be examined in detail.”
In December, a Warsaw court sentenced former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski and his deputy, Maciej Wasik, to two years of imprisonment for abuse of power related to an anti-corruption provocation they orchestrated. Last Tuesday, both men were detained in a very controversial manner by the police in the Presidential Palace and subsequently placed in detention centers.
However, Duda appealed to the prosecutor general, urging the release of Kaminski and Wasik for the duration required to complete the pardon proceedings.