Justice Minister Adam Bodnar has released a report on the case of Ryszard Cyba, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment for a political murder but was released after serving 14 years. The head of the ministry acknowledges the errors made in the case.
Ryszard Cyba, a former member of the Civic Platform (PO), was sentenced to life in prison for murder and attempted murder of Law and Justice (PiS) activists in Łódź in 2010. He was supposed to spend at least 30 years behind bars but was let out after 14 years. This development sparked controversy because Cyba was placed in a Social Welfare Home (DPS) and then transferred to a psychiatric hospital, where he is currently being held in a closed ward.
“This is the first time in the modern history of the Polish justice system that a court has suspended enforcement proceedings against an individual sentenced to life imprisonment due to their health condition,” reads the statement on Ryszard Cyba—an introduction to the report published by the ministry.
The report plainly admits that although a number of actions were taken in Cyba’s case, they were in no way coordinated.
“The lack of cooperation, delays in action, and negligence on the part of the proceedings’ participants created a situation in which, despite dealing with the same individual, the enforcement authorities, courts, and prosecution service failed to act with due efficiency,” the report reads.
During the examination of the case, it was noted, among other issues, that the prosecutor did not file an appeal regarding the court’s decision to suspend enforcement proceedings against Cyba. How does the ministry explain this?
“According to the opinion of the Department of Judicial Proceedings of the National Prosecutor’s Office, the prosecutor did not act against procedures. However, it should be noted that the prosecution service did not undertake any other measures in connection with the inmate’s imminent release from the penitentiary,” the report states.
The investigation also identified a lack of communication within both the Prosecutor’s Office and the Prison Service.
“Those involved did not fulfill their obligation, arising from the Internal Regulations of Common Organizational Units of the Prosecutor’s Office, to inform their supervising prosecutor about actions and events in high-profile cases due to their nature, consequences, or public resonance (§70 of the Internal Regulations). The prison director did not promptly file, upon receiving the Regional Court in Łódź’s February 27, 2025 decision to suspend enforcement proceedings, a motion with that same court for the application of preventive measures under Article 93a §1 point 1 of the Criminal Code. Nor did he coordinate the actions and procedural steps in such a way as to ensure that the inmate’s release would occur only after a binding decision by the guardianship court regarding the forced placement of the sentenced individual in an appropriate healthcare facility or social welfare home. The Prison Service likewise failed to fulfill its duty to inform ministry leadership about actions and events that could pose a threat to public safety (Article 1 of the Prison Service Act),” the ministry informs.