Andrzej Malinowski, the former president of the Employers of the Republic of Poland, has been stripped of his state honors, as announced in the official Gazeta Polska. President Andrzej Duda revoked Malinowski’s decorations based on a decision made last year, following revelations about his false testimony in a legal proceeding conducted by the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN).
The controversy surrounds Malinowski’s involvement with the military intelligence of the Polish People’s Republic (PRL). It was disclosed during an IPN investigation that Malinowski, who once held significant clout within the Polish business community, had collaborated with PRL military intelligence under the alias “Roman.” This was unveiled through documents presented during the inquiry, including signed commitments to cooperate with military intelligence.
In a court hearing on July 5, 2019, under the Special Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation, Malinowski denied signing any documents under the alias or seeing any related receipts, despite being warned about the criminal consequences of lying under oath. Subsequently, he was convicted in 2022 for making false declarations.
The honors revoked from Malinowski include the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta and the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, awarded in 2015 and 1999 respectively. These decorations are among Poland’s highest honors, bestowed for distinguished contributions to national or international significance.
The law governing Polish national honors allows the president to revoke such decorations if it is determined that they were awarded based on misleading information or if the recipient has conducted themselves in a manner unworthy of the honor.