The Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Białystok has decided to withdraw the indictment against Chief Inspector Tomasz Waszczuk, who had been accused of exceeding his authority by denying entry to MPs Urszula Zielińska and Klaudia Jachira in the border area in 2022. The information was shared on platform X by attorney Dr. Bartosz Lewandowski.
“The case should have never gone to court, but following a renewed review, the Prosecutor’s Office has decided to withdraw the indictment,”
— wrote Bartosz Lewandowski.
Officer Faced Charges for Defending the Border with Belarus — Prosecutors Back Down
Chief Inspector Tomasz Waszczuk had refused access to the restricted border zone in Białowieża to MPs Klaudia Jachira and Urszula Sara Zielińska from the Civic Coalition during heightened operations at the Polish-Belarusian border. As a result, he was charged with exceeding his official powers.
In February 2022, Waszczuk blocked the MPs from entering the restricted area near the Polish-Belarusian border. For this, in July 2024, he was formally charged by the prosecutor’s office with abuse of power, facing up to three years in prison. Both Jachira and Zielińska had previously declared that they would “hold him accountable” after the change of government. Although the case had been dropped multiple times in the past, it was revived last year, ultimately resulting in formal charges.
“The Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Białystok has decided to withdraw the indictment against Chief Inspector Tomasz Waszczuk, who was charged with exceeding his authority for refusing to allow the MPs into the border area,”
— reported attorney Bartosz Lewandowski on platform X.
Lewandowski, who represents Waszczuk, explained that the case “should never have reached the court.” He added that the court had asked both MPs whether they wished to continue pursuing charges against the officer.