“Polish authorities have not fulfilled their legal obligation arrest of a wanted man. This is an unprecedented affront. The man managed to escape to his own country. The Polish authorities could even have warned the Ukrainian,” writes “Spiegel.” According to the weekly, the German government and services “are furious at Warsaw“and the Poles will not forget” this move.
However, the findings of journalists from “Spiegel”, ZDF television and the Danish broadcaster Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) show that “German investigators had double bad luck in this case”. “If they had applied for an arrest warrant for Volodomyr Z. a little earlier, it would even be possible to arrest him in Germany” – we read.
On May 22, Ż. with his wife and three children went by car through Szczecin to Rostock and then to Copenhagen. He was even checked when crossing the border into Germany, according to his family. On May 26 They were going back to Polandstopping in the western part of Berlin – with the cousin of the wanted man's wife.
Germans. They put their hope in Tusk. It's about Nord Stream
As Spiegel writes, officers of the Federal Office of Investigation (BKA) only later realized that Ż. was in Germany – based on data from telecommunications operators. However, they still hoped that the suspect could be detained in Poland under the government Donald Tuskwhich “they consider him a serious European” – the weekly reports. Since the Ukrainian's address was known, “the arrest seemed to be just a formality”. On June 21, a European Arrest Warrant was sent to Poland.
“According to sources close to the security services Polish prosecutor's office signaled to the Germansthat – as required by EU law – he would immediately arrest Volodymyr Z. But nothing happened. Quite the opposite: on the sidelines of the Polish-German government consultations in early July, the Germans learned that Poles do not want to cooperate” – the weekly writes. On July 6, at about 6:20 a.m., the man left for Ukrainy through the border crossing in Korczowa.
Nord Stream case returns. “Warsaw warned wanted man”
“The car he used to cross the border was apparently it didn't belong to him. According to sources in the security services, it was a vehicle with diplomatic license plates – used by the embassy Ukrainy w Warsaw” – brings “Spiegel”.
“Berlin is convinced that Warsaw warned the wanted man. Rumors are circulating in the corridors of the German authorities that Polish officials said: Why should we arrest him? He is a hero to us! – writes the weekly. And adds that “from the German point of view Warsaw showed very little interest investigation into the attack” on Nord Stream. Warsaw, along with Ukraine, fiercely criticized the German-Russian gas pipeline, which it considered a security threat, the German weekly recalls.
Deutsche Welle, Polish Editorial Office of Deutsche Welle
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