Although the summons sent to the president of TV Republika clearly states that the prosecution is calling Tomasz Sakiewicz “as a witness” in a case against, among others, Zbigniew Ziobro, the head of the National Prosecutor’s Office, Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk, is speaking in the media about “the crime of aiding and abetting” and “does not rule out” that it could “turn into some kind of charge.” The Gazeta Polska Clubs are calling on people to gather on May 20 at 9:00 a.m. in front of the National Prosecutor’s Office building, where Tomasz Sakiewicz is to be questioned. They are also calling on participants of the large “Solidarity” demonstration to show support.
On Sunday, TV Republika reported that former Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro had left Hungary and traveled to the United States. As announced, he will be a commentator for TV Republika. A day later, the president of TV Republika, Tomasz Sakiewicz, received a summons to the prosecutor’s office as a witness in an investigation conducted “against Zbigniew Ziobro and others.”
Tomasz Sakiewicz has been summoned for May 20 at 9:00 a.m. to the National Prosecutor’s Office, and the document bears the note “mandatory appearance.” The summons was signed by Prosecutor Piotr Woźniak.
A trap “for a witness”?
Although the summons clearly states that the prosecution is calling Tomasz Sakiewicz “as a witness” in a case against, among others, Zbigniew Ziobro, the head of the National Prosecutor’s Office, Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk, is speaking in the media about “the crime of aiding and abetting.”
“[We need] to clarify what happened that suddenly Zbigniew Ziobro, overnight, that is, just after the change of government in Hungary, became a correspondent or an employee of TV Republika, and whether this may be connected, perhaps, with committing a crime under Article 239, that is, the crime of aiding and abetting, including the creation of false evidence for a wanted person,” Korneluk said on TVN24.
Dariusz Korneluk was directly asked on TVN24 whether a “summons as a witness at a later stage may turn into some kind of charge (…) aiding Ziobro in fleeing to the United States.” He replied that “he cannot rule it out.”
An illegal team
Actions in the case of the Justice Fund are being carried out by Investigative Team No. 2 at the National Prosecutor’s Office, established at the beginning of 2024 and led by Prosecutor Piotr Woźniak.
However, doubts in this entire matter arise already at the level of the legality of the National Prosecutor’s Office in its current form, as it is headed by a person who, according to the law, is not the National Prosecutor.
On January 12, 2024, the Minister of Justice Adam Bodnar unlawfully, without the consent of the President of Poland, decided to remove Dariusz Barski from the position of National Prosecutor. In his place, Prosecutor Jacek Bilewicz was appointed to the legally unrecognized position of “acting National Prosecutor.” In March 2024, the coalition government of December 13 appointed Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk to the already filled position of National Prosecutor.
Courts have questioned the legality of decisions made by Bilewicz in matters concerning the prosecution service, as he was not authorized to act.
“It was precisely during the time when Jacek Bilewicz was acting as National Prosecutor that Investigative Team No. 2 was established, and Jacek Bilewicz himself submitted a request to Adam Bodnar for the promotion of several prosecutors who are part of this team, which, moreover, he did not have the authority to do,” pointed out attorney Bartosz Lewandowski in an interview with salon24.pl.
Hearing at the Supreme Court
In March 2026, the District Court for Warsaw-Mokotów questioned the legal standing of Prosecutor Piotr Woźniak within the National Prosecutor’s Office.
“Pursuant to Article 106 § 2 of the Act of January 28, 2016 – Law on the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the National Prosecutor may delegate a prosecutor from a common organizational unit of the prosecution service to another organizational unit. As follows from the applicable provisions, the act of delegating Prosecutor Piotr Woźniak to the National Prosecutor’s Office could only have been issued by a lawful National Prosecutor, who at that time was (and still is) Prosecutor Dariusz Barski. In the court’s opinion, despite the preparation and signing of such an act with respect to Prosecutor Piotr Woźniak by other prosecutors using the title of National Prosecutor, i.e., by Prosecutor Jacek Bilewicz or Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk, it should be considered ineffective, as it was issued by an unauthorized entity. Consequently, it must be stated that it does not produce legal effects in situations where such improperly delegated prosecutor undertakes actions of a repressive nature against a citizen, and such actions undoubtedly include those depriving control over property,” stated Judge Jakub Iwaniec in the justification.
Support for the president of TV Republika
The summons of Tomasz Sakiewicz to the National Prosecutor’s Office coincides with the date of the large “Solidarity” demonstration in Warsaw. The Gazeta Polska Clubs have already announced a strong presence in front of the building and support for Tomasz Sakiewicz.
The clubs and the community of the Free Speech Zone media are calling on participants of the May 20 demonstration to also gather at 9:00 a.m. in front of the National Prosecutor’s Office building at 3 Postępu Street.