Based on materials from the Internal Security Agency (ABW), supplemented by information from the Research and Academic Computer Network (NASK), the prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into illegal social media spots promoting Rafał Trzaskowski and discrediting Karol Nawrocki and Sławomir Mentzen, according to Niezależna.pl.
Who is behind the illegal campaign promoting Trzaskowski?
Niezależna.pl asked the National Prosecutor’s Office whether any investigation is underway concerning the online campaign and illegal promotional clips for Trzaskowski, which had been noted by OSCE observers, and who initiated the complaint.
Prosecutor’s Office Investigation
In response, the spokesperson for the National Prosecutor’s Office, Prosecutor Przemysław Nowak, informed the portal that in May 2025, the Małopolska Branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor’s Office in Kraków received materials from ABW regarding, among other things, political advertisements posted on Facebook, whose sources of financing were unclear.
“Based on this, a preliminary investigation was initiated to supplement the materials provided by ABW. During this process, additional data and information were obtained from NASK. On June 9, 2025, based on the collected evidence, the prosecutor launched an official investigation into the use of funds derived from benefits connected to criminal acts, which were used to produce and disseminate campaign videos via Facebook, in connection with the presidential election campaign in Poland. This concerns the offence described in Article 299 § 1 of the Penal Code,”
the spokesperson stated.
He added that proceedings to take evidence are currently underway to determine “all circumstances related to the financing of the aforementioned promotional materials, including identifying those responsible and the sources of the funds.”
Article 299 § 1 of the Polish Penal Code stipulates that anyone who, for the purpose of money laundering or concealing the origin of funds, engages in activities such as transferring, concealing, acquiring, spending, utilizing, or otherwise manipulating assets, is subject to a penalty of imprisonment ranging from 6 months to 8 years.
OSCE Concerns
On May 15, the news portal Wirtualna Polska reported that the Akcja Demokracja Foundation was linked to the production of online campaign spots promoting Rafał Trzaskowski, with hundreds of thousands of zlotys spent on advertising. A day earlier, NASK had issued a warning about potential electoral interference.
In the recently concluded election campaign, NASK faced a major credibility blow. First, it issued a delayed and bizarre statement suggesting that the campaign attacking Nawrocki and promoting Trzaskowski—funded with large sums from unknown sources—was, in fact, detrimental to Trzaskowski. Then, it released a series of claims that were almost immediately refuted by Meta, the owner of Facebook. Subsequently, it concealed from both journalists and the public a report identifying possible individuals behind the illegal smear campaign.
The OSCE election observation mission in Poland released a statement with its preliminary findings and conclusions. The document repeatedly highlighted entities with unidentified funding sources that ran online campaigns in favour of Rafał Trzaskowski. One such example was the organization Akcja Demokracja, which financed 600 digital billboards, and the company Fat Frogs Media, which purchased Google ads worth a total of 131,000 PLN. Facebook pages such as Wiesz Jak Nie Jest and Stół Dorosłych were also cited.
Between April 16 and May 14, the Wiesz Jak Nie Jest and Stół Dorosłych pages spent approximately 500,000 PLN on ads promoting Rafał Trzaskowski, while simultaneously targeting Nawrocki and Mentzen.
The OSCE expressed concern over the authorities’ response to the ads promoting Trzaskowski. The statement noted doubts about the manner in which public institutions addressed the issue of these advertisements.