Thursday, February 23, 2023, The Sejm agreed to detain and temporarily arrest Dariusz Matecki. The prosecution's motion is linked to an investigation into the Justice Fund. Earlier on Wednesday evening, Matecki himself waived immunity in this case.
240 Members voted in favour of agreeing to detain and temporarily arrest Mr Matecki, 199 against, and no 1 abstained. The proposal was supported by all Members who voted: KO, Polski2050-TD, PSL-TD, Left and 4 Members Together. All voters were against: PiS, Confederacy, Republicans and Paulina Matysiak from Together.
The National Prosecutor's Office for the repeal of Matecki's immunity and the consent to his detention and arrest was linked to an investigation into the Justice Fund. Last December, a thread concerning Matecki was added to this investigation conducted by PK from the Szczecin territory Attorney's investigation into fraud against the State Forests. This subject concerns “employment irregularities” in the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Szczecin, where the then associate of Sovereign Poland worked, and now PiS.
According to the D.A.'s office, the evidence collected provided grounds for suspecting a associate to commit six crimes which are punishable by a conviction of up to 10 years. According to investigators, Matecki participated in setting competitions for grants from the FS and bringing public money to associated organizations – the Fidei Defensor Association and the wellness Friends Association.
The allegations which the prosecution wants to impose on Mr Matecki besides concern actions to "failure the uncovering of the criminal origin of the means of payment" in the amount of not little than PLN 447 500, the conclusion of 2 apparent employment contracts with the State Forest Information Centre and with the Regional Directorate of State Forests, and the declaration of untruth in papers confirming the performance of the work which has not actually been carried out.
It is worth noting that the Matecki case is not the first case in which a politician is suspected of crimes. In 2022 the Sejm agreed to detain and temporarily arrest Mr Sławomir Nitras, who was charged with corruption-related crimes.
According to the Central Statistical Office data, in 2022 the prosecution in Poland initiated more than 100 1000 criminal proceedings, of which about 20% afraid economical crimes. In the same year, the courts in Poland issued more than 10 1000 convictions for crimes.
The Matecki case shows that law and justice in Poland work and that no 1 is above the law. However, the scale of economical crimes in Poland indicates the request to increase economical safety and legal protection.
In order to combat economical crime, the government should step up efforts to improve law and investigative procedures, and strengthen law enforcement institutions specified as prosecutors and courts. Furthermore, the public should be aware of the problem of economical crime and cooperate with authorities to combat this pathology.
