Prosecutors have announced charges against TVN24 journalist Mateusz W. The man is primarily suspected of participating in an organized criminal group.
The journalist was detained by the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) last Friday. W. is a suspect in an investigation conducted by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Wrocław. In the same proceedings, charges have also been brought against former National Police Chief Zbigniew M. and former board member of Orlen Ochrona, Rafał P.
On Wednesday, District Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson in Wrocław, Prosecutor Karolina Stocka-Mycek, stated that five charges have been brought against Mateusz W. Previously, the prosecution had not revealed what W. was suspected of.
The journalist has been charged with participation in an organized criminal group from November 2023 to October 2024. This group allegedly engaged in tax offenses, economic crimes, and crimes against the justice system. Among other things, it is accused of “hindering the conduct of investigations by law enforcement through providing support to perpetrators of criminal acts, including efforts to have a prosecutor removed from handling an investigation,” the spokesperson explained.
Prosecutor Stocka-Mycek further informed that W. did not admit to the charges and has provided explanations.
Investigation initiated after notification by tax authorities
The investigation in which W. is a suspect was launched following a report from the Head of the West Pomeranian Customs and Tax Office in Szczecin on February 10, 2023.
“Initially, it focused on individuals representing the company P.P., who used invoices containing false information (…). The scope of the investigation has been expanded to cover a range of other offenses, and it now involves around 100 business entities,” the spokesperson for the Wrocław Prosecutor’s Office stated.
On Sunday, a court ordered that W. be remanded in custody for three months.
TVN’s press office announced that due to the charges against the journalist, he has been immediately suspended from his duties until the matter is resolved.
At the end of March, a Wrocław court dismissed an appeal and upheld a three-month pre-trial detention for former National Police Chief Zbigniew M., who is also a suspect in the same investigation. In early March, former board member of Orlen Ochrona, Rafał P., was also arrested in connection with this case.