“My honor would not allow me to assess these offers,” said Karolina Święcicka (formerly Kucharska) about a proposal to evaluate applications under the Justice Fund. Święcicka is a civil servant who spent seven months in pre-trial detention on the pretext of alleged irregularities in evaluating Justice Fund applications. On TV Republika, she admitted that she understands why employees of the Ministry of Justice do not want to assess applications themselves – they fear they could meet the same fate.
An audacious offer
We first heard about the case yesterday at a press conference held by Members of Parliament from the Law and Justice party. “We have such an audacious system of breaking the law that it even came to this: a Ministry of Justice civil servant was transported in combined handcuffs, her human rights were violated, and she was suddenly asked to supplement applications because they cannot do it themselves,” said Patryk Jaki. He was referring to Karolina Święcicka (formerly Kucharska), who had been unjustly arrested.
Today, she appeared as a guest of Danuta Holecka on TV Republika, where she confirmed that she had indeed received such an offer.
“I received an email proposing that I evaluate projects under the Justice Fund. First, I was very surprised; second, outraged. I spent seven months in detention because of alleged irregularities in evaluating Justice Fund applications. Half a year after my release from detention, an entity that, on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, is to carry out evaluations contacted me with a request for possible cooperation and assessment of these projects,”
she recounted, showing the offer.
She recalled that she is an expert with experience and qualifications, but that she should not be the one evaluating these applications. “This should be done by employees of the Justice Fund,” she emphasized, adding that she was not interested in cooperating.
Although Minister Waldemar Żurek allegedly created ten new positions within the ministry, he outsourced the evaluation to an external company for over one million zlotys.
“I am not surprised that employees are afraid to carry out evaluations (…). It seems to me that these people are aware that I spent seven months in detention for performing my professional duties,”
Święcicka stated.
She corrected Żurek
Last night, Minister Waldemar Żurek confirmed that an offer had been made to the civil servant. However, he presented the matter as if his ministry had “identified a mistake” and withdrawn the offer. “This case was immediately detected, and this person did not in any way undertake cooperation with the ministry. This case shows that the pool of people with relevant expertise is not large, which creates difficulties,” Żurek said.
“My honor would not allow me to assess these offers. I was surprised by Minister Żurek’s statement that the ministry allegedly recognized and verified me. With all due respect, it was I who did not undertake cooperation; it was not the ministry that declined my services,”
Święcicka explained on TV Republika.
The civil servant also pointed out that the most recent call for applications under the Justice Fund ended on September 30, and since then, the substantive evaluation of applications has not even begun. “According to media reports, an entity to carry out the evaluations has only just been selected, and it has not yet received any applications to assess,” she emphasized.
“Ministry employees could have carried out the evaluations. This assistance could have started sooner. Now we do not really know when those harmed will be able to receive real help,”
the civil servant admitted.