Arrest and further detentions in the Justice Fund case

On Wednesday, spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office, Przemysław Nowak, said that among the detained people were Adam S. – president of the “Fidei Defensor” Association (previously: “Nowy Koliber” Association) and Mateusz W. – former president of the Media Friends Association (previously: Health Friends Association). . Dorota W., Adrian K. and Dorota K. were also detained.

– The prosecutor presented four charges against Adam S. and Mateusz W. Three of them concern exceeding powers and failure to fulfill duties when acting jointly and in consultation with public officials from the Ministry of Justice, and misappropriation of property in the total amount of PLN 16.5 million. The fourth charge concerns money laundering, said the PK spokesman.

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According to the prosecutor's office, the competitions in which the “Fidei Defensor” Association and the Association of Friends of Health participated were conducted by the Ministry of Justice in such a way as to enable these entities to win them. – The evidence shows that the draft offers of these associations were submitted to an official of the Justice Fund department of the Ministry of Justice in order to correct and supplement them. Only after corrections were these offers formally submitted – revealed prosecutor Nowak.

As he added in relation to one of the competitions, “even before its results, the 'Fidei Defensor' Association was indicated by Marcin Romanowski and Tomasz M. as the one that was to win the competition and receive a grant from the Justice Fund.”

– After obtaining a subsidy from the Fund, these funds were appropriated by spending them contrary to their intended purpose, i.e. by paying invoices that repeatedly inflated the value of liabilities and by paying remuneration to several people for fake employment – said the prosecutor's office.

Prosecutor Nowak specified that this part of the case concerns the agreement of April 2020 with “Fidei Defensor” to grant a subsidy of PLN 5 million 29 thousand. PLN 100 for the years 2020-2023 for the implementation of the task entitled “Center for counteracting crimes against freedom of conscience and religion 'Fidei Defensor'”. – According to the allegations, the entire amount was misappropriated – said the PK spokesman.

In addition, it concerns the agreement of March 2021 with “Fidei Defensor” to grant a subsidy of PLN 7,126,000. PLN 665 for the implementation of the task entitled “Conducting a nationwide series of training for adults in order to counteract the causes of crime and help crime victims, with particular emphasis on older people and rural communities and small towns.” The prosecutor's office estimates that, according to the accusation, the amount of PLN 4,171,000 was misappropriated. PLN 999

The proceedings also concern the agreement of September 2020 with the Association of Friends of Health to grant a subsidy of PLN 7,736,000. PLN for the years 2020-2023 for the implementation of the task entitled “Construction and development of local online information services in order to conduct information campaigns and activities supporting the network of counteracting the causes of crime and helping crime victims.” – According to the allegations, the entire amount was misappropriated – said prosecutor Nowak.

As he explained, in relation to the money laundering charge, it concerns approximately PLN 4 million obtained from the Justice Fund as part of these competitions and “taking actions aimed at preventing and significantly hampering the determination of their criminal origin.”

– The first action taken was to pay 13 identified people remuneration for fictitious employment, in total amounts ranging from several dozen to several hundred thousand zlotys. The second method of money laundering was making payments for invoices that repeatedly overstated the value of liabilities, in which the indicated value of the service did not reflect the actual costs incurred – according to the findings of the prosecutor's office. These invoices were issued by business entities run by, among others, by Adrian K. and Dorota K.

On Wednesday, the prosecutor requested that Adam S. and Mateusz W. be detained for three months. – The need to apply preventive isolation measures to suspects is justified by the real threat of a severe penalty and the fear of unlawful obstruction of the proceedings – said prosecutor Nowak.

– The prosecutor applied preventive measures of a liberty nature to the remaining suspects in the form of police supervision, a ban on leaving the country, and to Dorota K. and Adrian K. in the form of a property guarantee in the amount of PLN 30,000 each – he said and noted that decisions on property security were also issued .

The investigation of the National Prosecutor's Office regarding the Justice Fund, which has been ongoing since February this year, is multi-threaded; is ongoing, among others regarding the exceeding of powers and failure to fulfill duties in recent years by the Minister of Justice and ministry officials, who were responsible for the management, distribution and settlement of financial resources from the Justice Fund. The fund's main task is to provide assistance to victims of crime, as well as, among others, post-penitentiary assistance.

At the request of the prosecutor's office, the Sejm waived the immunities of MPs and former deputy ministers of justice Marcin Romanowski and Michał Wos in the Justice Fund case. As announced, further requests to waive immunity in this investigation cannot be ruled out.

Recently, the spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General, Anna Adamiak, informed that proceedings regarding one of the threads of this case are at the final stage and an indictment is possible soon. It's about the case of Fr. Michał Olszewski and two officials of the Ministry of Justice from the times of the government PIS. Last week, bail was received for these three suspects, which allowed them to be released from custody.