Attorney General Adam Bodnar directed Simon Holowna to the Marshal of the Sejm official motion to waive the parliamentary immunity to Antoni Macerewicz. This is the culmination of a multi-month investigation into the activities of the Subcommittee for the Reinvestigation of the Air Accident, commonly called the Smolensk Subcommittee. The information was confirmed by the National Prosecutor's Office in its Friday communication, indicating a ‘reasonable suspicion of a crime’ by the erstwhile head of the MON. If the Sejm comes to the conclusion, it will open the way for the politician of Law and Justice to face criminal charges. The decision on this issue may inactive be made in July and its political and legal consequences will be enormous. It is 1 of the most anticipated moves of the prosecutor's office in the framework of accounting for actions of the erstwhile power, touching 1 of the most colorful and controversial figures of the Polish policy of fresh decades.
Official motion in the Sejm. What's the prosecution charging?
The application shall be based on the findings of the National Prosecutor's Office's Investigation Group No 4. He was appointed specifically to analyse the irregularities that were to be encountered during the work of the Smolensk Subcommittee. According to the authoritative release, the evidence gathered gave emergence to a legitimate suspicion of a crime by Antoni Macerewicz in connection with his function as chair of the subcommittee.
Investigators stress that the proposal is based, not on conjecture, but on concrete evidence collected during the investigation. Although the prosecution does not disclose circumstantial allegations at this stage, it is known that they concern overshooting of powers and non-compliance. The material provided to investigators by the Ministry of National Defence following an audit conducted by a fresh departmental squad was crucial. It was this audit that became an inflammatory spark for the full procedure.
41 calls and 5 investigations. Kulisy of the Smolensk Subcommittee
The scale of the case is awesome and shows how the D.A. analyses in depth the activities of the squad led by Macerewicz. The impulse to act was to send the final study by the MON on the audit of the Subcommittee's work. With him, the D.A. went to the office until 41 notifications of possible crime. That number of reports forced the creation of a dedicated investigation team.
As a consequence of the analysis of these materials, on 18 November 2024 the National Prosecutor's Office initiated five separate investigations, which includes a full of 21 prohibited acts. These proceedings relate to a wide scope of possible irregularities, from financial issues and the management of public property, to the demolition or concealment of evidence. The request to waive immunity is simply a natural consequence of the findings made in these proceedings and concerns the individual work of the subcommittee chairman.
What's next with Macerewicz's immunity? Decision in the hands of Members
The motion of the lawyer General has already reached the desk of Marshal Simon Holownia. The formal parliamentary procedure will now be launched. In accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the Sejm, the application will be addressed to the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Members' Affairs and Immunities. The Commission, after reading the materials and proceeding both the D.A.'s typical and Antoni Macierewicz himself, will issue a advice to the full Chamber.
The final decision to waive immunity shall be taken by the Sejm by an absolute majority vote. The vote may take place at the July meetingwhich suggests that the ruling coalition will want to proceed without undue delay. The waiver of immunity does not mean an automatic conviction, but allows the prosecution to formally file charges and conduct criminal proceedings against the associate on a general basis.
End of the Immunity Age? Political consequences for the Law and Justice
The issue of immunity of Antoni Macierewicz has a legal dimension not only, but besides profoundly political. For years, the Smolensk Subcommittee has been 1 of the key tools of historical policy and current Law and Justice. Her findings, undermining the authoritative study of the alleged Miller Commission, became the foundation for part of the PiS electorate.
Putting charges against her president will be a powerful blow to this communicative and the image of the full formation. For the current government majority, this is in turn the implementation of 1 of the most crucial electoral promises – the settlement of the governments of the United Right. At 3:00 p.m., the Advocate General, Proc. Anna Adamiak, is expected to present more details on the application at a peculiar briefing. This will be another chapter in 1 of the loudest political and legal issues of fresh years in Poland.
Continued here:
There's a motion from the lawyer General. Antoni Macierewicz may lose immunity
