Court orders arrest of Citizens Coalition MP Wojciech Król on corruption suspicions
The District Court in Katowice has decided to remand Citizens Coalition MP Wojciech Król in custody on suspicion of accepting bribes in exchange for assistance in obtaining EU grants. The European Public Prosecutor's Office has accused him of fraud and corruption in the modernisation of tram infrast
MP arrested in courtroom
The District Court in Katowice approved remand in custody for Citizens Coalition MP Wojciech Król, suspected of corruption. Král was detained directly in the courtroom on 17 September. According to zero.pl, the European Public Prosecutor's Office has accused him of paid patronage and fraud in the modernisation of tram infrastructure in the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis.
Four counts and two motions to lift immunity
The parliamentarian faced a total of four counts. The first two were presented in the summer, when the Sejm lifted his immunity for the first time and applied freedom-limiting preventive measures against him. The prosecutors presented two further counts after his detention; the district court rejected a motion for remand at that point, but the District Court approved it.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office submitted two motions to lift immunity. In July, the Sejm agreed to charges being brought but not to detention or remand. In September, it accepted the full motion, allowing immunity to be lifted, detention, and remand.
Charges concern multi-million-zloty benefits
The first motion focused on suspicion of accepting over 1.4 million zlotys in exchange for assistance in obtaining 27 million zlotys in EU grant funding for a project in Chorzów. The same motion included smaller benefits — 27,000 zlotys for arranging employment and contracts at Silesian Trams and the Katowice branch of GDDKiA.
In the second motion, the European Public Prosecutor's Office indicates that Král committed two offences under Article 230 of the Criminal Code, concerning paid patronage. The MP invoked his influence in ministries, services and state-owned companies to help the WISS group obtain contracts potentially financed from the European Union's SAFE programme.
Evidence and the MP's stance
Investigators established that shortly before interrogation Král deleted WhatsApp messages, but the prosecution recovered them. Parliament suspended him from his rights as a Citizens Coalition member and removed him from membership of the parliamentary club. He continues to hold the office of MP and chair of the National Media Council. Král has repeatedly publicly denied all charges.
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)