“We demand that a closed session of the Sejm be convened in order to disclose all possible circumstances and facts that led to these contacts being discussed by the media today – between people closest to Czarzasty and individuals from Vladimir Putin’s circle,” said Mateusz Morawiecki, former Prime Minister of Poland, during a press conference.
Journalists from Gazeta Polska have determined that Włodzimierz Czarzasty, the current Speaker of the Sejm, served for two years on the Sejm’s special services committee despite failing the vetting process of the Internal Security Agency (ABW).
“The case also concerns contacts between Włodzimierz Czarzasty and his wife and a Russian citizen involved in the art trade, working at an auction house linked to Russia’s largest bank under Kremlin control. If he had done so, the services would have had to scrutinize the relationship between Włodzimierz Czarzasty and his wife and the Russian woman trading in works of art, employed at an auction house connected to Russia’s largest Kremlin-controlled bank. The woman holds shares in a hotel company whose vice president is Małgorzata Czarzasty. Both she and her husband, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, are shareholders of the majority owner of this entity,” wrote Piotr Nisztor.
Opposition reacts
MPs from the Law and Justice (PiS) parliamentary club held a press conference today in which they appealed to Czarzasty. They also want a closed session of the Sejm regarding his Russian connections.
“Today we are meeting here on a matter of the highest importance – the security of the state. Security is unquestionable, indivisible, and absolutely the most important issue. Everything we see happening around Speaker Czarzasty fills us with the greatest concern. It is connected to his ties with individuals whose nature he did not disclose in a security questionnaire, because he did not complete it. I appeal today to fill this gap in the security system as quickly as possible. But also – as a result of filling this gap – a person as important in the Polish political system as the Speaker must be required to complete a security questionnaire. If Mr. Czarzasty had been required to complete such a questionnaire, he would have had to list his contacts with Ms. Swietlana Ceestnych, and as a result – he probably would not have become Speaker if he had been properly vetted, like everyone else, by our services,” said Mateusz Morawiecki, former Prime Minister of Poland.
“Secondly – we demand that a closed session of the Sejm be convened in order to disclose all possible circumstances and facts that led to these contacts being discussed by the media today – between people closest to Czarzasty and individuals from Vladimir Putin’s circle,” he added.
Speaker Czarzasty built his career in the communist party. Anyone with elementary knowledge of the history of that period knows that without the consent of the KGB, without Moscow’s approval, it was impossible to build a career in the 1980s in the Polish People’s Republic. Can someone who carries such political baggage and dependencies from that time be Speaker of the Sejm, the number two figure in the Polish political system? It is worth asking this question out loud, he continued.
“No power lasts forever”
Morawiecki also appealed to officers of the special services. “The special services are a pillar of state security. They are our shield, sometimes our sword. They must be absolutely beyond political influence. Do not allow yourselves to be intimidated by Prime Minister Tusk. No one, no power lasts forever. And perhaps his power will also end sooner than he thinks,” he said.
“Your loyalty is to the Republic of Poland. That is your only loyalty. And it is the Republic that you should serve, not be dependent on political orders, and sometimes perhaps bans, regarding proper vetting of Mr. Czarzasty,” he addressed the officers.
In his view, “everything we are dealing with today also undermines Poland’s credibility on the international stage. Of course, the number one pillar of our security is our army, our defense system, and the resilience of the Polish state. The number two pillar is the Intermarium, the states that think seriously, like us, and feel the Russian threat in a similar way.”
“The number three pillar is NATO and our most important allies in NATO. How can a person who has not explained his close ties to someone from Putin’s circle give assurances of properly steering the ship of state in the Republic of Poland? These are the questions we must ask. Let us act together to defend state security. Everything we do, especially today’s speech, this loud intervention, is meant to serve state security and the preservation of the sovereignty of the Republic,” he continued.
He concluded: “The Czarzasty case must be clarified as soon as possible.”