“Many MPs from Civic Platform, in private conversations, openly admit that they avoid talking to or maintaining contact with Roman Giertych out of fear that he might be recording them,” said Janusz Kowalski, a Law and Justice (PiS) MP, during an interview with EIC Tomasz Sakiewicz on the program Polityczna kawa, aired on TV Republika.
Today, TV Republika released audio recordings that could shake up the political scene. The excerpt published, featuring a conversation between Roman Giertych and Donald Tusk, dates back to 2019. Among the topics discussed were Giertych’s conflict with then-PO leader Grzegorz Schetyna, the transfer of signatures for Stanisław Gawłowski, and the plan to nominate Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska as a presidential candidate.
Commenting on the recordings during Sunday’s Polityczna kawa, MP Janusz Kowalski said that Poles, upon hearing the conversation, might get the impression that they are listening to members of a “quasi-mafia.” He stressed that the transfer of signatures by Giertych would constitute a criminal offense, which has already been reported to law enforcement by Marcin Romanowski.
“Why didn’t Donald Tusk, having received this information, notify the authorities? He has a civic duty—upon hearing about an electoral crime, or even the possibility of one—to report it. There was no reaction whatsoever,” Kowalski stated, adding that this might reflect how Civic Platform representatives perceive the law.
Kowalski also addressed the source of the recordings, questioning claims that the materials originated from operational activities of the secret services, a narrative promoted by Civic Coalition politicians. He noted that over a year ago, Michał Woś requested a list from Adam Bodnar of individuals subjected to Pegasus surveillance—even in classified procedures—but that request remains unanswered. According to the PiS MP, the source of the recordings could be entirely different.
“Many Civic Platform MPs, in informal settings, plainly state that they avoid any contact with Roman Giertych out of concern that he may be recording them. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it turned out that the source of these recordings was one of those very Platform politicians,” he said.
Kowalski argued that if two politicians were able to discuss a potential electoral offense, it would be no surprise if they also crossed further lines, such as secretly recording each other. He suggested that given such a conversation took place, it is crucial to consider what is currently happening within the prosecutor’s office and the security services.
“This matter will have to be thoroughly investigated. Most likely, this will happen once the legitimate National Prosecutor, Mr. Dariusz Barski, returns—presumably in the first week after the right regains power. I am convinced the prosecutor will investigate this case, as in my opinion, it raises very serious suspicions of a criminal offense,” he concluded.