Journalist Leszek Kraskowski was detained before the scheduled date on which he was due to give testimony at the Warsaw branch of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA), his defence lawyer has said. According to attorney Łukasz Pawelski, the journalist had no contact with his legal representative for several days despite requesting it, while the conditions of his detention were improper; he was allegedly bitten by bedbugs and was not provided with appropriate clothing.
Investigative journalist Leszek Kraskowski, known for publishing information inconvenient for Roman Giertych (Civic Coalition), including on the Polnord case, was remanded in custody for three months at the beginning of the week. According to statements from the prosecutor’s office, he has been charged in connection with making criminal threats and unlawfully possessing a gas pistol and ammunition without a permit. For several days, the journalist had been unable to contact his lawyer.
This was supposed to happen on Friday morning at the Białołęka detention facility in Warsaw. However, although attorney Łukasz Pawelski had been present there since 7:20 a.m., he was only able to meet his client in the afternoon.
“Leszek has been bitten by bedbugs”
The arrested journalist’s lawyer revealed shocking details concerning the detention itself. Speaking to TV Republika, attorney Pawelski said that his client had not even been sure whether information about his arrest had reached anyone outside.
“Leszek was very glad that I managed to contact him today. Until now, he did not know whether information about his detention had actually reached anyone at all,”
Pawelski said.
According to the lawyer’s account, the conditions in which Kraskowski is being held are scandalous. He stressed that his client was detained wearing shorts and a light T-shirt, and despite poor weather conditions, he was taken out for walks without suitable clothing. “As for his physical condition, if I were to assess it, he has been bitten by bedbugs. We live in the 21st century, and yet Leszek is being held in such conditions,” the attorney emphasised.
He also added that it was only after his intervention that Kraskowski received trousers, while he was reportedly given socks by… one of his fellow detainees.
“Thanks to the fact that I managed to secure access to Leszek, he received trousers. Today, one of his fellow inmates also gave him socks,”
he said.
Attorney Pawelski stressed that his client’s account of the circumstances of the arrest differs significantly from the statements presented so far by the prosecutor’s office. According to the account he gave, Kraskowski allegedly did not know that the people following him were plain-clothes police officers because, as the defence claims, they did not use lights or sirens and did not identify themselves as police officers.
“Leszek simply took them for bandits, people who wanted to harm him. He fled, and he was fleeing to a police station, not to some isolated location. In fact, it was a miracle from God that no tragedy occurred involving harm to Leszek or to a bystander,”
the lawyer said.
A complaint will be filed: “He fell victim to a systemic conspiracy”
The lawyer also addressed the issue of the weapon his client had with him.
“He showed the weapon, hoping that he would defend himself or deter the people who were following him. When he saw an officer wearing a vest marked ‘Police’, he was glad that he was finally safe,”
Pawelski said.
According to the attorney, from the very beginning of his detention, his client demanded contact with his defence lawyer.
“From the very beginning, Leszek made it clear that he wished to contact me. This is recorded in the detention report. Had I not secured access to my client today, he would still have believed that no one knew about this case,”
he said.
The lawyer also announced that he intends to file a complaint against the decision to impose pre-trial detention and to take further legal action. “I heard from Leszek that he was urged to give specific explanations and to admit guilt. This is an absolute scandal,” he said.
“This case is shocking and outrageous not only from a legal point of view, but also from a purely human one,” he added.
At the end of the interview, one more piece of information emerged, which the attorney considered crucial.
“Leszek was due to give testimony at the CBA branch in Warsaw at Krzywickiego Street on June 11 at 11 a.m. He was detained before that. This is also a very important circumstance in this case,”
attorney Pawelski said.