Live Feed

07/16/2024

07:36

Tuesday's Political Agenda: Government on Security, PiS and SP Politicians on Romanowski, Committee on the Constitutional Tribunal, Hołownia in Podlasie

At 9:30, a press conference will be held with the participation of politicians from Suwerenna Polska (Sovereign Poland) and Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (Law and Justice). The topic: International scandal and unlawful detention of MP Marcin Romanowski.

Marshal of the Sejm Szymon Hołownia will be visiting the Podlaskie Voivodeship, where at 10:00, the flag of the Republic of Poland will be handed over from the dome of the Sejm to the 18th Białystok Reconnaissance Regiment. A press briefing will take place at 13:15.

At 11:00, the Sejm's Committee on Justice and Human Rights will continue its work on the draft law concerning the Constitutional Tribunal, along with its introductory provisions.

At 15:00, a government session will commence. The agenda includes, among other items, a draft resolution on the adoption of the Report on National Security Threats.

08:06

Korneluk:

Romanowski Refused to Testify. An Arrest Warrant Request Will Be Filed
- Yesterday, Member of Parliament [Marcin Romanowski] was informed of the charges, the charges proposed in the motion to lift his immunity. The MP refused to provide explanations, only making a statement for the record [...]. Prosecutors have informed me that today they will be filing a motion to apply a pre-trial detention measure against the MP. Most likely for 3 months - Dariusz Korneluk said in an interview with Marcin Fijołek on Polsat News' "Graffiti". - An attempt to destabilize the preparatory proceedings, which was indeed published, but this does not mean that the threat of further obstruction of the proceedings does not exist. Hence the request for such a preventive measure, in the assessment of the prosecutors - he continued.

08:13

Myrcha on Romanowski: If there's no request for arrest, it would mean he either confessed or cooperated

- I would interpret it this way [if no request for the arrest of Marcin Romanowski appears] that Mr. Romanowski would either have confessed to at least some, if not all, of the charges against him, or perhaps offered far-reaching cooperation within the proceedings, while simultaneously ensuring that he would not pose a risk of tampering with the investigation. Because in these circumstances, I don't know what other arguments could lead the prosecution not to file a request for temporary detention - stated Arkadiusz Myrcha on TVN24's "One on One".

08:15

Korneluk:

Romanowski Faces Up to 15 Years in Prison
- Given the legal classification adopted, namely Article 231, but above all Article 65, up to 15 years of imprisonment [faces Marcin Romanowski] - said Dariusz Korneluk on Polsat News's "Graffiti".

08:20

Myrcha Cites Civil Procedure Code Article on Charges in a Criminal Group:

Detention is Also Applied in These Circumstances.

- Firstly, no actions could be taken on Friday because the prosecutor's office was not yet formally aware of the lifting of immunity for MP Romanowski. This resolution was delivered to the prosecutor's office on Monday morning, and it was then that immediate actions were ordered concerning the detention and bringing charges. Secondly, we learned about the detention itself from announcements by Mr. Romanowski's defense attorney, who, as one can assume, also invited a television crew to his apartment - stated Arkadiusz Myrcha in "Jeden na jeden" on TVN24.

- If charges of participating in a criminal group are brought, then, practically automatically, requests for pre-trial detention are issued, and following this, Article 247 of the Civil Procedure Code stipulates that detention is also applied in these circumstances. Therefore, no spectacular political spectacle occurred, because please note, MP Woś, a colleague from Suwerenna Polska, also faces charges, and no one detained him here because he does not face the charge of acting in an organized criminal group - he added.

08:30

Myrcha on Romanowski's Second Immunity:

We Analyzed This Matter.

- It does not protect him [Marcin Romanowski] in this aspect at all, the immunity [from the Council of Europe] does not protect him in this matter at all. We analyzed this matter, the prosecutor's office communicated similarly yesterday that it had analyzed this matter. Mr. Romanowski is, of course, a representative to the Parliamentary Assembly, but this immunity protects them in activities related to the performance of that mandate, i.e., in matters of statements, votes, information obtained in connection with holding that office, and it applies outside the country's territory - stated Arkadiusz Myrcha on TVN24's "Jeden na jeden".

- In the case of a conflict between two immunities, national and this, let's say, European one, national regulations, the national immunity, which was revoked on Friday, have priority of application - he added.

08:32

Korneluk Denies Sejm Chancellery’s Statement:

We were ready to collect correspondence over the weekend.
- The arrest could not have been carried out earlier because resolutions from the Sejm arrived yesterday morning. Only from that moment could the prosecutor issue an arrest warrant. And he assigned this task to the officers conducting the investigation related to the Fund for Justice - said Dariusz Korneluk in “Graffiti” Polsat News. - I know nothing about it [that the action concerning Romanowski was postponed at the prosecution's request]. Yesterday, before 12:00 PM, I received the resolutions from the Sejm Chancellery. The resolutions are indeed dated Friday, but they arrived yesterday. […] The prosecution does not work on Saturdays and Sundays, but if correspondence needed to be collected, it would have been collected. However, it arrived on Monday - he stated, when asked about yesterday's statement from the Sejm Chancellery that it was ready to deliver documents concerning Marcin Romanowski’s immunity on Friday, but it was the prosecution that wanted the deadline postponed.

08:39

Żukowska on Giertych:

He Showed Bad Faith, Lied to Voters and Tusk.
- One simply has to have bad faith here, and I believe Roman Giertych demonstrated this bad faith [by not voting on the decriminalization of abortion] and is now trying to hide behind some arguments plucked from thin air – Anna Maria Żukowska said in an interview with Karol Surówka on "Sygnały Dnia" PR1. - Regarding the project [Giertych has bad faith], he simply did not want to vote for it, he was punished for it, demoted by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and suspended, and is now inventing various things for his justification – she continued. - He lied to voters and to Donald Tusk as well, the Prime Minister, saying that he would sooner give up his mandate than break discipline on this matter – she went on to say.

08:40

Korneluk:

I'm Not Aware of Romanowski Being Ordered to Strip Naked
- I'm not aware of any such circumstance [Marcin Romanowski being ordered to strip naked during a search]. A search is always conducted when a person is detained, if only from a security perspective […]. This action was carried out by ABW officers; the prosecutor did not participate in it - said Dariusz Korneluk on Polsat News's "Graffiti". - Such searches [involving stripping naked] do occur when this kind of action is necessary […], but not in this case. I'm not aware of it - he added.

08:48

Żukowska on abortion decriminalization:

I am submitting this bill again; there are talks about submitting it jointly with Civic Coalition and Poland 2050.
- I hope that these voices will be found in the future, which is why I am submitting this bill again and also appealing to all parliamentary clubs. There are already talks on this matter to submit this bill jointly. I'm talking about the Civic Coalition and Poland 2050 clubs, because unfortunately, we cannot count on the PSL on this matter. But I think that if it is a joint project, it will give it more power - said Anna Maria Żukowska on PR1. - An attempt will be made again until it succeeds. It will be submitted at the next Sejm session, however, it will be voted on when the Marshal will have to face this decision again, assign it a print number, and put it on the agenda - she continued. - It is necessary for two people [from the PSL] to abstain. Maybe these two people will be found. [...] I think this bill [...] will be after the holidays, in September, the Marshal will probably continue to process it - she added.

08:52

Korneluk Asked About Romanowski's Second Immunity: We Have Opinions from Two Scholars. We Will Publish Them
- We did not contact the Parliamentary Assembly, but this circumstance did not surprise us. We were aware, and continue to be, before the arrest, that MP Romanowski benefits from the parliamentary immunity of the Council of Europe. We commissioned two legal opinions in this matter from two independent scientific centers specializing in international law. The opinions clearly indicate that the MP is not covered by this immunity in the scope in which the charges were presented - said Dariusz Korneluk in Polsat News's "Graffiti". - Indeed, such immunity would apply - and the arrest would certainly not have happened yesterday - if the MP were performing duties related to that immunity, or participating in a committee or session of the Council of Europe - he added. When pressed about the aforementioned legal opinions, he stated: - Two scholars, from different scientific centers. […] It is not [a secret] and certainly, given the ongoing discussion, I believe the prosecutors will make a decision and publish these opinions.

08:53

Żukowska:

A Deep Conversation is Needed Between the Prime Minister and the Polish People's Party; I Will Urge Him Strongly
- I think that perhaps in such matters, greater activity is needed from the Prime Minister, who is the head of this government and who, in his electoral program, promised Polish women a legislative amendment concerning abortion, legalization. And I believe a deep conversation with the Polish People's Party is necessary here - said Anna Maria Żukowska on PR1. - I would count on that very much, I will urge him strongly to do so, as will our leader Włodzimierz Czarzasty, because it is his government and his government promised Polish women a change in the situation - she continued.

09:02

Korneluk on Further Motions to Lift Immunities:

The Circle of Suspects Will Be Expanded.
- The investigation is multi-faceted, it is proceeding on many levels, and such motions [to lift immunities] cannot be ruled out today. [...] The circle of suspects in this matter will be expanded, and if it involves a person covered by parliamentary immunity, a motion to lift it will certainly be submitted again - Dariusz Korneluk said in the Polsat News program 'Graffiti'. When asked about the names of Zbigniew Ziobro and Dariusz Matecki, he replied: - I won't say "tomato" [a Polish idiom meaning no comment], but I will say that the decision on which individuals will be charged at this time rests with the prosecutors.

09:34

Wiącek on Romanowski's Immunity:

It Doesn't Apply Here.
- After analyzing the regulations of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, specifically Article 73 of that document, in my opinion, it follows from this provision that this immunity did not apply in this case. However, the court will ultimately rule on this matter. Furthermore, a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has the right to notify the President of the Parliamentary Assembly about their deprivation of liberty, and the President may intervene in a member state if they deem that the immunity has been violated – stated Marcin Wiącek on RMF FM.

09:38

Wiącek on the case of Father Olszewski's treatment:

The accusations are serious and will not be easy to verify.
-Yes [we met]. Immediately after Father Olszewski's statement appeared in the media. Father confirmed in conversation with us, with my colleagues who were in the remand prison and spoke with him, he confirmed the truthfulness and confirmed that he is the author of this letter, of this statement, and indeed the accusations we are talking about concern the period between March 26 and 28 this year, i.e. until the decision on temporary arrest was issued. The priest does not raise any objections regarding the place where he is currently staying and the conditions of temporary arrest, however, it concerns those first few days and these accusations are indeed serious and it will not be easy to verify these accusations – said Marcin Wiącek on RMF FM.

09:41

Wiącek on the Constitutional Tribunal's rulings:

Abortion on demand would be inadmissible.
- In light of that ruling [the Constitutional Tribunal's ruling on abortion from 1997], this ruling concerns abortion for so-called social reasons, and the Constitutional Tribunal recognized that abortion for social reasons is inconsistent with the constitution. Consequently, logic dictates that abortion on demand, completely without any guarantees, would also be inadmissible, but I would like to emphasize one very important thing, because it must also be heard: the current legal status we have is also difficult to reconcile with international constitutional standards – stated Marcin Wiącek on RMF FM.

09:50

"An Unclear Concept": Wiącek on Doubts Regarding New Regulations on Soldier's Use of Firearms
- This is a controversial solution, the one we are discussing, because it introduces what is called a ground for excluding criminal liability, meaning it exempts from criminal responsibility in situations where the rules for using firearms have been violated, by using very unclear concepts and a clause stating that exemption from criminal responsibility occurs when the circumstances necessitated immediate action. This is an unclear concept – said Marcin Wiącek on RMF FM.

10:21

Kaleta on Romanowski's Detention by ABW:

It's Purely for Show, to Demonstrate Repression.
- Yesterday, MP Marcin Romanowski was detained at his apartment, he was taken out of his home in a situation where, on Friday, after the Sejm's decision, he reported to this building. Although he does not recognize the legality of this prosecution's actions, he knew they would take forceful measures, he wanted to clarify the matter for which the prosecution intends to press charges, but on Friday, the prosecutors had already left for the weekend. What is this all about? It's purely for show, to demonstrate repression, to show that the apparatus of force is being used against representatives of the opposition, but this case has many threads related to unlawful actions. One of them is also the fact that MP Marcin Romanowski possesses immunity from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; despite having this immunity, Bodnar's people decided to detain him. This shows that today's state apparatus is solely focused on the forceful application of repression against the political opposition in a matter that has no basis for it – stated Sebastian Kaleta at a press conference. - MP Marcin Romanowski is unlawfully deprived of his liberty, there is no doubt about it. Prosecutor Bodnar, in a statement from the National Prosecutor's Office yesterday, spoke of some mythical opinions. The only opinions in the public space under a name that concern this matter are opinions indicating that Marcin Romanowski is unlawfully deprived of his liberty; these are facts – he continued.

11:40

EU Council Just Adopted KPO Revision. Pełczyńska-Nałęcz Announces Large Transfer for Poland

- Delivered :) The EU Council has just adopted the KPO revision. Now is the time for intensive investments! In September, we will submit two payment requests. And at the end of the year, another – even larger than the previous one – transfer for Poland – wrote Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz on Twitter.

13:45

Romanowski's plenipotentiary announces notification of the Council of Europe:

There is great concern about this situation.

- I can confirm that a request for a precautionary measure in the form of temporary detention will most likely be filed. I don't have information that it has been filed, but everything indicates that it will be filed in the near future - stated Bartosz Lewandowski at a press briefing.

- I am also going today, I won't hide it, to formally notify the Council of Europe of this fact, the bodies with a complaint that has been prepared. So I have to do it today - he continued.

- We have unofficial information confirming our position, but I think that until such a document is effectively filed, and believe me, from yesterday until late at night and today from the early morning hours, I have been practically engaged the whole time, my team in the law firm is working on preparing the appropriate documents, but some things I have to sign myself and do myself due to the importance of this matter, I wasn't able to send it earlier - he noted.

- The unofficial information is that there is great concern about this situation. Simply put, there has been a violation of the Parliamentary Assembly's resolutions and legal acts in this regard, which directly state that one cannot simply choose whether this protection applies or not - he added.

13:54

PiS MEP Announces Council of Europe Intervention on Romanowski Case

- The Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe informed me that the Council of Europe will approach the Marshal of the Sejm, Szymon Hołownia, regarding the unlawful detention of Marcin Romanowski. Detention of an MP - a member of PACE - without the consent of this institution is not possible, wrote Arkadiusz Mularczyk on Twitter.

14:56

500 Million PLN, with Approximately 100 Million Available This Year. Hołownia on Support Program for Municipalities in Eastern Voivodeships
- Minister Pełczyńska-Nałęcz has already announced a support program for municipalities in the eastern voivodeships. This amounts to 500 million Polish zlotys, of which approximately 100 million will be available to these 4 voivodeships this year. This project covers the Warmian-Masurian, Podlaskie, Lublin, and Subcarpathian voivodeships [...] this is a project focused on municipalities that are border regions. Funds will be available, drawn from European Funds, a program financed for the funding of tasks related to road infrastructure, various investments that local governments undertake, which create jobs, and thus also realistically build the social fabric locally, but it will also, of course, be money for tourism. It will be money for those who conduct business in this area. This is a sort of umbrella support – said Szymon Hołownia at a press briefing.

15:04

Request for Pre-trial Detention of Romanowski Submitted

- The prosecutor today submitted a request to the District Court for Warsaw-Mokotów in Warsaw for the application of pre-trial detention for a period of three months against the suspect Marcin Romanowski. The necessity of applying pre-trial detention stems from a justified fear of unlawfully obstructing the proceedings in the case, and furthermore, from the threat of a severe penalty - it was reported in a statement from the National Prosecutor's Office.

16:34

National Prosecutor's Office Spokesperson on the Romanowski Case:

Detention Didn't Occur Due to Fear of Non-Appearance.
- The suspect [Marcin Romanowski] was detained yesterday, and in the evening hours, the prosecutor announced 11 charges against him, including participation in an organized criminal group for over 5 years. The remaining 10 charges concern exceeding authority, failure to fulfill duties, falsifying documents, and causing damage to the State Treasury property amounting to over 110 million Polish zlotys - said Przemysław Nowak, spokesperson for the National Prosecutor's Office, at a press conference. - The suspect provided quite extensive explanations, also regarding the nature of the alleged offenses. The prosecutor decided today to file a motion with the court to apply temporary detention, primarily due to the fear of tampering with evidence that exists in the case. In other words, the prosecutor considered that only the temporary isolation of the suspect would ensure the proper course of this proceeding and prevent the suspect from further unlawful influence on the course of this proceeding. Another premise for requesting this measure is the threat of a severe penalty, which hangs over the suspect; here, each of these offenses, in fact, most of them, are punishable by up to 15 years of imprisonment - he continued. - The prosecutor also maintains that the suspect is not protected by the immunity of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, because this immunity applies exclusively to acts committed in connection with the exercise of a mandate or during a session or subcommittee work - he further stated. - Detention did not occur due to fear of non-appearance. [...] The main premise was the fear of unlawful influence on the proceedings and the necessity of applying an immediate preventive measure [...]. The prosecutor considered that, despite the willingness to appear, there is still a need for detention. Moreover, the regulations require detention if one wants to apply for temporary custody, as happened today. If one wants to detain someone, one should not summon them in order to detain them when they show up. That is not how it is done. So, either there is detention, or there is a voluntary summons - he added.

17:58

Romanowski's Second Immunity: Ministry of Justice Publishes Legal Opinions

The Ministry of Justice has announced that Adam Bodnar has decided to independently investigate the functioning of immunity for members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, without connection to the analyses conducted on this matter by the National Public Prosecutor's Office. This concerns the so-called second immunity of Marcin Romanowski.

As stated, prosecutors delegated to the Ministry of Justice, with whom the minister initially consulted on the immunity issue, recommended obtaining independent legal opinions. - At the minister's request, the task of preparing these opinions was undertaken by the Undersecretary of State, Arkadiusz Myrcha - the statement indicated.

The prepared legal opinions – authored by Dr. hab. Andrzej Jackiewicz and Dr. hab. Joanna Juchniewicz – have been published on the ministry's website. It was added that after reviewing their content, the minister forwarded them to the National Public Prosecutor's Office.

20:01

Kosiniak-Kamysz on Abortion:

We have our bill; I wonder why it wasn’t put to a vote first.
- We haven't surprised anyone. We have our bill; I wonder why it wasn’t put to a vote first. Why wasn't the bill that guarantees a return to the situation before the Constitutional Tribunal's ruling, as one that could garner a majority and gain the president's approval, the first one put to a vote, as the most certain of all those submitted? That's strange to me, because I believe that's where we should have started - said Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on TVN24's "Fakty po Faktach". - I'm rather [expressing this strangeness] to the committee that was specially appointed, because all four draft bills were sent to one committee, and the committee decided that the bill on decriminalization would be directed to the Sejm first [... ] I would like our bill to be directed now - he continued.

20:04

Kosiniak-Kamysz Announces Further Vote Against Abortion Decriminalization:

Yes, Of Course.
- Yes, of course, because it is legally flawed, it is one that will not gain acceptance and the President will not sign it. So if someone really wanted to resolve this matter, to bring it to a positive conclusion as soon as possible, they should adopt the bill that we are proposing, because there is a chance the President will sign it - said Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on TVN24, when asked if he would vote against the Left's proposal on abortion decriminalization should it reappear.

20:09

Kosiniak-Kamysz:

PSL Prepares Bill on the Status of Closest Person
- We will see what the outcome of the bill will be - Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated on TVN24, when asked how he would vote on the issue of partnership rights.

- Now, the PSL Parliamentary Club, with MP Pasławska, is preparing a bill on the status of the closest person, which in my opinion will also be acceptable, and which will resolve matters of inheritance, and issues related to the sharing of medical information [...] I will vote for such a bill - he continued.

20:13

Kosiniak-Kamysz:

Poland is certainly one of the NATO leaders
- Poland is certainly one of the NATO leaders, which is also evidenced by a document that emerged from the work at the Washington summit, concerning the most important tasks, the implementation of regional plans, i.e. plans for various contingencies and major events. This was one of the points we advocated for, and the declarations are better after the summit than they were before. Another issue is the internationalization of the border problem [...] the issue of Belarus was raised - said Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on TVN24.

20:18

Kosiniak-Kamysz on Defense Spending in 2025:

I'd like it to be as much as 5% of GDP
- It will certainly be more than this year, I would like it to be as close as possible to five [percent] - said Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz in TVN24, when asked if he confirms that in 2025 Poland will allocate almost 5% of GDP to defense. - The needs are enormous, needs stemming from the largest army in history, over 200,000, needs related to border protection - he continued. - I would like it to be as much as 5 percent - he added.

20:33

Szatkowski:

I am being defamed by the Prime Minister

- Minister Siemoniak said that he supposedly cares about resolving the matter calmly and substantively, but so far no one has approached me with any questions, yet the Prime Minister is defaming me from the parliamentary tribune – stated Tomasz Szatkowski on the program "Gość Wydarzeń" on Polsat News.

20:34

Szatkowski on accusations against him:

A media campaign of leaks about me is ongoing.

- In my case, I have a document that I showed. I have a document from the head of the Military Counterintelligence Service, confirming that it gives credibility as a result of proceedings to which I myself reported. Let us also remember the context of this whole matter, it is a media campaign of some leaks that try to suggest, first, that I might be cooperating with the Russians, then that perhaps with the Americans, or the British, that I, for example, used spy techniques, only to later withdraw these claims, stating that not spy techniques, but there were some lies on that polygraph – said Tomasz Szatkowski in Polsat News.

20:35

Szatkowski Admits He Almost Became NATO Deputy Chief

- In this one point, I can agree with the Prime Minister [that I almost became NATO Deputy Chief] – stated Tomasz Szatkowski on Polsat News.

20:37

Representative Cites Letter from President of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly:

Romanowski is Covered by Immunity.

- The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in response to my complaint, officially recognizes that MP Marcin Romanowski is covered by immunity and should be immediately released due to the potential necessity of conducting a procedure to lift his immunity by Parliament - Bartosz Lewandowski wrote on Twitter.

- I am filing a notification of a potential crime in connection with the unlawful deprivation of liberty of the MP and exceeding authority. This is a COMPROMISE on an international scale - the MP's representative added.

22:04

Hołownia on the Romanowski Case:

As Soon As Correspondence Arrives from the President of the PACE, I Will Immediately Forward It to the Prosecutor's Office.

- The role of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland in the case of MP Romanowski concluded last Friday with a decision on parliamentary immunity, made at the request of the prosecutor's office. As soon as correspondence from the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe arrives at my office, which has not yet happened, I will immediately forward it to the prosecutor's office, which has been the sole controller of the criminal proceedings from the very beginning - wrote Szymon Hołownia on Twitter.

23:09

Third Way Senator Criticizes Prosecutor's Office:

It's sad to say, but I think we're facing an embarrassment.

- It's sad to say, but I think we're facing an embarrassment for the National Prosecutor's Office - wrote Jan Filip Libicki on Twitter.

23:10

Court Schedules Urgent Hearing in Romanowski Case

- Attention! At 11:30 PM, the Court has scheduled an urgent hearing in the case of Marcin Romanowski. Most likely, this is related to a request for the Honourable Member's release - wrote Bartosz Lewandowski on Twitter.

23:58

Romanowski's representative announces court decision:

He is a free man.

- Member of Parliament Marcin Romanowski is a free man by virtue of a court decision - informed Bartosz Lewandowski.

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