When Paweł Sz., founder of the Red is Bad brand, was placed in pre-trial detention, he immediately began cooperating with the prosecution. It later emerged that he suffers from claustrophobia. Did the prosecution know about this—and did they use it to extract a testimony?
“The suspect Paweł Sz. reported certain possible ailments,” confirmed Prosecutor Przemysław Nowak in response to questions from Niezalezna.pl. However, he declined to give further details, citing “confidentiality regarding medical information.”
The investigation into the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves is considered one of the most important for Prosecutor General Adam Bodnar. Politicians from the December 13 Coalition and pro-government media openly admit it is being used as a political tool to target former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. So far, 21 charges have been brought against eight individuals, including former RARS president Michał Kuczmierowski (who has consented to having his name published), three other agency officials, and Paweł Sz., founder of Red is Bad.
In Sz.’s case, it was the controversial Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk who announced on state-run TVP that Sz. had decided to cooperate with investigators. Soon afterward, information surfaced indicating that the suspect suffers from claustrophobia—potentially influencing his behavior. This week, Telewizja Republika revealed that Sz. testified to collecting money supposedly for bribes—yet claimed he never actually handed the money over. His testimony included many similarly surprising assertions.
Paweł Sz.’s Statements
On Thursday, Telewizja Republika released additional excerpts from Paweł Sz.’s testimony.
“These statements, made by Sz., are protocols from various days. He returned to Poland, began cooperating with investigators, and initially said there had been one meeting with Mateusz Morawiecki on Parkowa Street. That conversation lasted about five minutes. Two weeks later, he ‘remembered’ another meeting at the same location, again with brief involvement from the former Prime Minister,” said Piotr Nisztor, a journalist with Gazeta Polska, on-air.
Nisztor pointed out that for months a narrative was being built suggesting Paweł Sz. was about to incriminate, or had already incriminated, Mateusz Morawiecki.
Claustrophobia and Detention
Until now, little attention has been paid to the conditions in which Paweł Sz. was held during his detention. Though recently released, he spent several months being repeatedly interrogated.
It is no longer a secret that Sz. suffers from claustrophobia. Combining this condition with threats of arresting his mother could have significantly influenced his decision to cooperate with investigators.
“For me, it’s beyond doubt that Paweł Szopa’s detention was coercive in nature. After providing the testimony the investigators wanted, he was released after just three months—an outcome that rarely occurs in such cases. This can be seen as a kind of reward for the content of his statements,” said investigative journalist Cezary Gmyz on Telewizja Republika.
Prosecution: Paweł Sz. Reported Possible Ailments
We contacted the investigative authorities for comment. In response, National Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Przemysław Nowak stated:
“The suspect Paweł Sz. reported certain possible ailments. This information was forwarded to the detention facility where the preventive measure was being applied.”
According to the prosecution, “appropriate measures were taken in the detention center in accordance with the reported symptoms and existing procedures.”
It remains unclear what specific actions were taken. The response further stated that “there were no so-called negative premises preventing pre-trial detention, as defined in Article 259 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and appropriate detention conditions could be ensured.”
Prosecutor Nowak added:
“Due to confidentiality regarding medical information, we do not disclose what ailments were reported, how the authorities responded, or what was potentially diagnosed.”