Prosecutors notified regarding MP Cieszyński – alleged removal of documents from Justice Ministry
The Justice Ministry has filed a complaint with prosecutors against MP Janusz Cieszyński, suspected of removing documents during a parliamentary intervention.
Complaint regarding documents removed from the Justice Ministry
The Justice Ministry has filed a complaint with prosecutors regarding suspected criminal conduct by Janusz Cieszyński, an MP from Developmemt Plus – announced Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek on Monday. According to wiadomosci.wp.pl, the matter concerns an incident on Friday, when Cieszyński during a parliamentary intervention allegedly took documents from the Justice Ministry headquarters relating to proceedings concerning the Academy of the Judiciary.
The complaint to National Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk was filed by the ministry's deputy head Maria Ejchart. Among the removed materials were copies of three notes – two handwritten notes from Prison Service officers and a typewritten note from a witness – constituting an extract from the file of administrative proceedings regarding the removal of the rector-commandant of the Academy of the Judiciary, Dr. Michał Sopiński.
"We have filed a complaint with prosecutors against MP Janusz Cieszyński. Removing documents from files and threatening the safety of officers is not any sort of parliamentary intervention. This is blatant lawlessness," wrote Żurek on the X platform. He added that "the law applies to everyone, and an MP has a duty to set an example for citizens, not place himself above the law".
Ejchart, for her part, informed that a separate complaint – under Articles 231 and 266 of the Criminal Code – was filed by the director general of the Prison Service, in connection with "the MP's disclosure of protected sensitive data of officers". "Prison Service officers perform difficult, responsible service for the security of the state. The state has an absolute duty to protect them," emphasised the deputy head of the Justice Ministry.
According to the ministry, the described conduct may constitute an offence under Article 276 of the Criminal Code, which provides for destruction, damage, concealment or removal of a document which the perpetrator has no right solely to dispose of, a fine, a sentence of restricted liberty, or imprisonment of up to two years. Ejchart noted that "the control powers of parliamentarians do not authorise the arbitrary removal or dissemination of documents forming part of proceedings conducted in the ministry".
On Monday, the ministry also discovered a missing copy of an order by the justice minister from the previous week concerning the service of a decision on Dr. Sopiński via the director general of the Prison Service. A photograph of this document was published on X on Friday by Cieszyński.
The MP rejected the allegations made against him. In response to Ejchart's post, he stated that "Madam Minister deigns to miss the truth". "All Prison Service officer data was anonymised, which can be easily verified in my posts. As for the missing decision – as the Justice Ministry itself writes – a copy was provided to me. Please search your own office before you order a search," said Cieszyński. In response to Żurek's post, he added: "Mr. Żurek, I will return the copy if that's what you're after".
The matter is part of an ongoing dispute since last week concerning Justice Minister Żurek's decision to remove Dr. Sopiński from his position as rector-commandant of the Academy of the Judiciary. His duties were taken over by Dr. Sławomir Cudak, who on Friday morning arrived at the university headquarters in Warsaw – initially he was not allowed in, but ultimately entered with police escort. From Thursday, demonstrations against this decision have been taking place outside the university headquarters, with the participation of PiS politicians. Cieszyński's intervention on Friday was the next in a series of earlier visits by MPs from that party.
Source: Google News PL