“If it turns out that Żurek was a source for Rubtsov, a GRU agent, it raises serious questions about his future in the government, and whether certain proceedings should be initiated,” said Law and Justice (PiS) MP Paweł Jabłoński on air at TV Republika. The PiS politician also announced that he had submitted an official parliamentary inquiry to Żurek on this very matter. “This needs to be clarified immediately – who exactly is Mr. Żurek? Where does such a network of connections come from?” appealed Tomasz Sakiewicz, president of TV Republika.
A short excerpt from an interview given by Waldemar Żurek – then a judge at the Krakow District Court and a member of the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), and now the Minister of Justice – to TOK FM radio, is drawing increasing attention.
The conversation took place on May 19, 2016, shortly after the victory of Law and Justice in the parliamentary elections. Soon thereafter, a law on the Constitutional Tribunal was passed, introducing, among other things, the requirement to reelect its judges.
At that time, Żurek thundered that he agreed with the actions of European institutions reacting to the situation around the Tribunal. He blurted out that as soon as the bill proposed by Law and Justice appeared, “he immediately received a phone call from Spain from an important journalist.”
Connecting the dots: shortly afterwards, an article appeared on the Spanish (Basque) portal naiz.eus, written by a “Spanish” journalist about “Polish democracy in trouble.” And who was its author? A man well known in Poland under two names – Pablo González, also known as Pavel Rubtsov– a Russian spy.
The spy Pavel Rubtsov was released from a Polish prison as part of a prisoner exchange between Western countries and Russia. In late July last year, he left Poland and was greeted at the airport by none other than Vladimir Putin. Rubtsov had operated in Poland, using his status as a journalist (posing as the Spaniard Pablo González) to collect intelligence in Ukraine for Russian special services. He also sought to gain the trust of Russian opposition figures. In Poland, he built close relationships with women, including Magdalena Ch., a journalist who moved freely among political circles and was even present at the TVP headquarters during the illegal takeover of public media.
As our sources have established, the phone of Russian spy Pavel Rubtsov contained the contact details of the current Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek, as well as correspondence exchanged via messaging apps. According to our informants from the Internal Security Agency (ABW), the atmosphere in the ministry is growing increasingly tense with each passing hour following today’s reports. Behind the scenes, there is talk of “close consultations” and “unexpected connections,” the disclosure of which could shake Minister Żurek’s political future – wrote a user on X.
Will Żurek Reveal Whom He Spoke With?
The matter, given that Żurek now serves as Minister of Justice, is raising growing concern and specific questions. This was discussed today on TV Republika by Paweł Jabłoński, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“We need to ask such questions. That’s why this morning I sent an official parliamentary inquiry to the Minister of Justice, asking him to provide the name of the journalist he was in contact with at the time. Also, whether he ever communicated with the man who sometimes called himself Pablo González and at other times Pavel Rubtsov. Putin greeted him personally in Moscow – we all saw those images. After all, he was detained in Poland under Law and Justice, but under Civic Platform he was handed over to Putin, practically for free,” said the politician.
He continued: “If Mr. Żurek in 2016, as a judge, a member and spokesperson of the National Council of the Judiciary, contacted a Spanish journalist – we don’t know who exactly – that reflects poorly on him. As a judge, he was obliged to remain apolitical. If he attacked the government for political reasons, he was also violating the Constitution and judicial disciplinary rules. Soon after, González/Rubtsovwrote about Poland, attacking the Polish government for allegedly violating the rule of law. I hope Żurek will have the courage to disclose whom he contacted – and whether it was Rubtsov. If it turns out that Żurek was a source for Rubtsov, a GRU agent, it raises serious questions about his future in the government and whether certain proceedings should be initiated.”
Sakiewicz: This Is a Threat to State Security
“What is happening around Minister Waldemar Żurek requires a response from the highest state authorities,” assessed Tomasz Sakiewicz, president of TV Republika.
He emphasized that it was necessary to clarify whether “Żurek is still in contact with Rubtsov.”
“We know that he was. We also know that he promoted, as revealed by the head of the National Council of the Judiciary, Judge [Tomasz] Szmydt, who is now hiding in Belarus. This whole thing reeks of a stale soup – and one from the East. We need to clarify immediately who Mr. Żurek really is, and where this web of connections came from. He publicly praised Rubtsov, he publicly spoke of his contacts – only back then, Rubtsov was called something slightly different. This matter must be clarified immediately because it is a threat to state security. If a constitutional minister responsible for justice boasted of contacts with a spy personally greeted by Putin, and later promoted another spy who fled to Belarus – this is a state security threat, and both the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister must react. It must be clarified without delay what level of dependence Mr. Żurek had on these men, and what their connections were,” said Tomasz Sakiewicz.