A session of the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions (PETI), which was supposed to address the issue of protection for former Deputy Justice Minister Marcin Romanowski, turned into a political spectacle and a festival of falsehoods by politicians from Civic Platform (KO). MEP Dariusz Joński made a scandalous attempt to mislead fellow Members of the European Parliament, hurling baseless accusations of massive corruption. The truth, however, quickly came to light, completely discrediting the politician from Donald Tusk’s camp.
The case of Marcin Romanowski – who was granted asylum by Hungary due to what he describes as a political trial and the threat of persecution in Poland – returned to the agenda of the EU committee at the initiative of left-wing and liberal circles. Instead of a substantive debate on the functioning of the European Arrest Warrant, the session was used by representatives of the current government for a brutal attack built on falsehoods.
The Lie About 114 Million and Silenced Voices
During the proceedings, MEP Dariusz Joński sought to convince shocked MEPs from other countries that allegedly gigantic bribes totaling more than PLN 100 million had been secured in the accounts of a politician from the United Right camp. As revealed by MEP Maciej Wąsik, Joński declared in the chamber that the amount was precisely PLN 114 million. In reality, however, the situation was entirely different – Marcin Romanowski had just PLN 7,000 in his account.
To ensure that such a colossal lie could spread internationally and provoke outrage among foreign politicians, steps were taken to prevent the accused from responding at all. As Maciej Wąsik reported, “The MP was denied the right to speak and was not allowed to connect to the chamber.” He summed up the situation bitterly: “Defense? Unnecessary. The narrative was already prepared.”
Conservatives Expose the Fabrication
The brazen fabrication by Dariusz Joński, based on false information, quickly met with firm opposition. MEP Kosma Złotowski from Law and Justice (PiS) exposed the lies of the Civic Platform (KO) politician, revealing to foreign MEPs the methods currently employed by Poland’s ruling camp. For conservative circles, the entire campaign against Romanowski in the European Parliament is simply “an evident political operation.”
Kosma Złotowski aptly summarized the purpose of these unlawful actions:
“This is about branding opposition politicians as criminals. It will certainly be used in the election campaign in Hungary, and probably here as well in the future.”
Instead of addressing the facts, Dariusz Joński chose to persist in slander and attack the Hungarian authorities. In his hypocrisy-filled speech, he thundered:
“It is unacceptable for one country to repeatedly use political asylum for individuals who have broken the law in another European country and to treat Hungary – specifically Orban’s government – as a hideout to escape justice.”