Work on declassifying the annex to the report on the dissolution of the Military Intelligence Services (WSI) has entered a decisive phase. Head of the National Security Bureau (BBN) Bartosz Grodecki assured that the presidential chancellery is “doing everything” to ensure the document is made public, although it is still awaiting an opinion from the Speaker of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty. As he stressed, the opinions of the speakers are not binding, and the deadline for issuing them has already expired.
The Military Intelligence Services (WSI) were established in 1991 as a successor to the communist intelligence services. Over the years, numerous scandals, abuses, corruption, and ties to the Kremlin led a significant part of the political class and society to demand the dissolution of the institution and vetting of its personnel. In June 2006, during the rule of Law and Justice (PiS), a law was passed to liquidate the WSI. The report on this process was prepared a year later, and an annex was also drafted but classified and secured in the National Security Bureau’s classified office. Subsequent presidents did not decide to make it public. Only Karol Nawrocki ultimately made that decision.
Recently, the presidential spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz emphasized that the current stage of work on the annex is directly leading toward its declassification and publication.
He reminded that the law requires obtaining opinions from the speakers of the Sejm and Senate before further steps are taken, as stipulated in the legislation. However, the opinions of both chamber speakers are not binding for the president, although the obligation to submit the document to them must be fulfilled. Media reports suggest, however, that both Włodzimierz Czarzasty of New Left (NL) and Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska of Civic Platform (KO) will issue negative opinions.
Czarzasty, when repeatedly asked about the issue, has offered rather evasive explanations, such as claiming that President Nawrocki did not personally send the report to the Sejm Chancellery. More on that in the article below:
Head of the National Security Bureau: time has already run out
Whether the annex to the WSI report will see the light of day was today asked on Radio ZET Radio ZET to the Head of the National Security Bureau, Bartosz Grodecki.
“We are doing everything to make it happen, the President’s declaration on this matter is very clear, we are acting in accordance with procedures, and when the time and the right moment come, it will happen,” he said.
He emphasized: “We are currently at the stage of collecting opinions from the speakers, we are still waiting for the opinion of Speaker Czarzasty […] all legal procedures will be completed, and once they are completed, we will have a result in the form of publication of this annex.”
The Head of the National Security Bureau also noted that “the opinions of the speakers are not binding opinions, but despite that we are still waiting for the Speaker’s opinion, even though the time has already run out.” He added that “there is an opinion from the Speaker of the Senate.”