Katowice. The councilors accepted the resignation of the arrested deputy marshal Bartłomiej Sabat

The decision was made in the Silesian Voivodeship Assembly on Monday. Leszek Pietraszek became the new deputy marshal.

All representatives of the ruling coalition in the region, i.e. the Civic Coalition, Third Way and the Left, as well as all representatives of the opposition Law and Justice party, voted in favor of accepting Bartłomiej Sabat's resignation.

READ ALSO: Deputy Marshal Bartłomiej Sabat from PO was charged with corruption. He will be arrested

– There was no indication that something similar might happen. Such signals did not come out of nowhere. (…) From the beginning, we have been cooperating with the services on all issues, and the only knowledge about what is happening comes from the prosecutor's office and press releases. (…) If something new happens, we will inform about it transparently – said the voivodeship marshal. Silesian Wojciech Saługa (PO) during Monday's extraordinary session of the regional council.

Councillors PIS during the discussion, they pointed out that the marshal had previously avoided speaking out on the detention, charges and arrest of Bartłomiej Sabat. They emphasized that there were no official announcements not only for residents, but also for councilors of the local council. They asked whether an inspection of the decisions and areas supervised by Sabat had been ordered.

– There was silence on the part of the marshal for many days from the moment it happened, this black day for the self-government of the Silesian Voivodeship. (…) This is not what transparency looks like – said councilor Tomasz Papaj (PiS).

PiS local government officials also pointed out that the extraordinary session of the regional assembly was called in connection with the resignation of the deputy marshal, and not his dismissal. In their opinion, due to corruption allegations, he should lose both the position of deputy marshal and his councilor seat.

In response to the doubts of opposition representatives, Marshal Saługa repeated that he intended to provide new information on Bartłomiej Sabat's case in a transparent manner. He explained that he had not decided to dismiss him because Sabat resigned after his arrest. He emphasized that all activities of the Marshal's Office are subject to constant control.

Leszek Pietraszek's candidacy for the new deputy marshal, in accordance with the regulations presented by Marshal Wojciech Saługa (KO), was supported in a secret ballot by 26 out of 40 councilors of the provincial assembly present during the meeting. Silesian.

– Energy security, energy transformation, decarbonization, health care – all these complicated processes can be summarized with one common denominator, which is security. In fact, my task (…) will be to ensure the safety of the citizens of our region, said Pietraszek, presenting his candidacy.

Leszek Pietraszek was the president of Polska Grupa Górnicza from March 18, 2024. He is a reserve major and a former officer of the special services – the State Protection Office and the Internal Security Agency. He headed the ABW branches in Opole and Katowice. After leaving the service, he worked in various positions related to defining and implementing strategies, creating and implementing innovative projects and managing the security of critical infrastructure.

Officers of the Central Anticorruption Bureau detained Bartłomiej Sabat in October. Then, investigators from the Silesian branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor's Office in Katowice charged him with two charges related to accepting financial benefits and making the performance of official duties conditional on obtaining them. They concern both his function as deputy voivodeship marshal. Silesia, as well as his previous position as vice-president of Częstochowa. The Katowice-Zachód District Court decided to arrest the local government official for three months.

According to the Penal Code, Bartłomiej Sabat faces from one to 10 years in prison. The local government official's lawyer, Jacek Kohler, emphasized that his client had testified and pleaded not guilty.

Three people were also charged in this case, who, according to investigators, paid bribes to Sabat. They face from 6 months to 8 years in prison. “Preventive measures of a liberty nature” were applied to them.

After the arrest, Bartłomiej Sabat was suspended from the Civic Platform. He served as vice-chairman of the Częstochowa party structures, as well as a member of the board of the Silesian region.

In the recent local elections, Sabat was elected to the Silesian Voivodeship Assembly from the KO list and joined the new management board supported by KO, Trzecia Droga and the Left.

Previously, he was a councilor and vice-chairman of the Częstochowa City Council, as well as vice-president of Częstochowa. He worked as deputy director of the Regional Branch of the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture, as well as vice-president of the Częstochowa Municipal Enterprise.