“Revenge is best served cold”—prosecutor Ewa Wrzosek had already written this on Twitter back in 2018. The quote is striking in light of Barbara Skrzypek’s death just days after being interrogated by Wrzosek. But it is also highly telling: a representative of the justice system was quoting none other than a literary mafia boss—Vito Corleone from The Godfather. Then, in 2024, Wrzosek wrote: “An interrogation is not a coffee meeting.”
Death after the interrogation
Barbara Skrzypek, who died suddenly, was interrogated as a witness on Wednesday, March 12, in connection with the so-called Two Towers case. During the questioning, only prosecutor Ewa Wrzosek and two lawyers representing Austrian businessman Gerald Birgfellner—Jacek Dubois and another attorney from Roman Giertych’s law firm—were present. Skrzypek’s legal representative was not allowed to participate, despite pointing out her poor health. The interrogation lasted over four hours.
This case once again raises the issue of prosecutor Ewa Wrzosek’s political involvement. She has proudly arranged flowers into the infamous “eight stars” symbol and has repeatedly expressed her stance on the Law and Justice (PiS) government. Under Donald Tusk’s administration, she made a comeback, reclaiming high-profile positions, and was recently assigned the politically charged Two Towers case.
An approach like Vito Corleone’s
“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” says the fictional leader of the Italian mafia in the U.S., Vito Corleone.
The ruthless mob boss utters these words while plotting the elimination of his enemies, who ultimately meet their fate that very same day, gunned down by his men.
Online commentator John Bingham recalled today that prosecutor Wrzosek used this quote back in 2018 in a conversation with Paweł Wroński of Gazeta Wyborcza and the newspaper’s chief “satirical” cartoonist Andrzej Milewski (Andrzej Rysuje).
“What tastes best when served cold?” Wrzosek provocatively asked at the time. Wroński failed to catch the reference and began answering that octopus doesn’t taste good when reheated, so it would probably be best served cold.
Wrzosek then replied bluntly: “Revenge tastes best when served cold.”
John Bingham also pointed out another post from Wrzosek, this time from June 2024, in which the prosecutor wrote: “An interrogation is not a coffee meeting.”