Political investigations targeting the opposition, the persecution of Legia Warsaw supporters, or seeking life imprisonment for an innocent man – prosecutor Piotr Woźniak is once again rising prominently within the prosecution service. It was he who signed the summons for questioning addressed to the president of TV Republika, Tomasz Sakiewicz.
The president of TV Republika, Tomasz Sakiewicz, has been summoned to the National Prosecutor’s Office as a witness in an investigation concerning, among others, Zbigniew Ziobro. Despite a clear note in the document, the head of the National Prosecutor’s Office, prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk, has publicly spoken about the possibility of the “crime of aiding an offender” and has not ruled out bringing charges.
“What Mr. Korneluk said is, in itself, a crime. He knows perfectly well what kind of document I received. Did he cause a document to be sent to me that misleads me? I cannot be questioned, let alone charged, if I was previously informed that I was going there in a different matter and in a different capacity. This looks like a trap involving the unlawful Mr. Korneluk and the unlawful National Prosecutor’s Office,” said Sakiewicz on Thursday morning.
The summons for the head of TV Republika was signed by Piotr Woźniak, a well-known prosecutor currently serving as head of Investigative Team No. 2, dealing with the political investigation into the Justice Fund.
Prosecutor Woźniak – high-profile investigations
He is behind 26 charges against Zbigniew Ziobro, the indictment against Michał Woś, the prosecution of Father Michał Olszewski from the Profeto Foundation, as well as the unlawful detention of Marcin Romanowski, when the Law and Justice (PiS) MP held international immunity in July 2024.
However, his current role is only a fragment of his career. The investigator’s name has appeared in numerous high-profile cases, including those directed at individuals regarded as opponents of the government of Donald Tusk.
Several years ago, prosecutor Piotr Woźniak supervised proceedings against Piotr Staruchowicz, known as “Staruch”, a Legia Warsaw supporter and one of the leaders of fan protests against Donald Tusk’s government. From the outset, the case had a clear political and media context – the fight against so-called “hooligans” was then one of the key elements of the government’s narrative. The fans responded directly – “Donald, you fool, your government will be overthrown by ‘hooligans'”.
The charges against Staruchowicz were based almost exclusively on the testimony of a crown witness – Marek H., known as “Hanior”, a drug dealer and repeat offender. Prosecutor Woźniak publicly emphasized the credibility of this witness, arguing in the media that his accounts had been confirmed by other evidence and testimonies.
Over time, however, it emerged that key evidence was missing from the case files: there were no surveillance recordings, no phone log confirmations, nor testimony from the alleged drug courier. When these gaps came to light, Woźniak explained them as resulting from the nature of criminal transactions, which convinced neither the public nor – ultimately and most importantly – the courts.
In 2016 and 2017, Piotr Staruchowicz was finally acquitted of all charges. The court explicitly pointed to the need for exceptionally thorough scrutiny of crown witness testimony, stressing that in this case it did not meet the standards required for conviction.
The prosecutor was also involved in proceedings concerning another Legia supporter, Maciej Dobrowolski. He spent over three years in pre-trial detention without a verdict – in his case as well, the charges were based on the testimony of the same crown witness, Marek H. “Hanior”, in relation to drugs. Dobrowolski’s trial is still ongoing. After 2015, Woźniak was demoted – mainly for conducting investigations against Legia supporters – by Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro.
Another high-profile episode in Woźniak’s career was charging an innocent man with murder and seeking a life sentence. After 25 years of proceedings and three full trials, the Court of Appeal in Warsaw finally acquitted Marek N., known as “Marek from Marki”, who had been accused of a notorious double murder at the Tartak pub in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki. The case was one of the most complex and longest-running in the history of the Polish justice system.
In connection with the planned questioning, the Gazeta Polska Clubs are calling on supporters to gather on May 20 in front of the National Prosecutor’s Office. Social media has also seen the publication of recordings encouraging sympathizers to attend the assembly and show support for Tomasz Sakiewicz.