To put it very simply, the story goes like this – two brothers don't keep in touch, one is caught driving drunk and blames it on his brother, who doesn't know about it. The police do not check any documents and the innocent driver loses his driving license. On Monday, the court tried to solve the case, with the help of a reporter from “Fakty” TVN.
A truck driver wrongly accused and then – due to policemen's mistakes – convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, cannot wait to be acquitted. – It's not even a country made of cardboard anymore, but made of wet cardboard. There is no other way to call it – comments Mr. Mariusz Grażulis, the accused.
The court took away Mr. Mariusz's driving license for four years for driving under the influence of alcohol. The incident allegedly took place in April 2022 in Luzina near Wejherowo in Pomerania on a day when Mr. Mariusz was at home in Suwałki – over 400 kilometers away. – It was my brother who was stopped in front of the store and gave my details – explains Mr. Mariusz.
During the inspection, Mr. Mariusz's brother blew more than two permille and impersonated him. He explained that he did not have an ID card. Also during the interrogation at the police station, the police took the drunk man's word for it.
– At the same time, these data were also partly shared data, because the parents' details, names – it all matched – explains Asp. staff. Anetta Potrykus from the District Police Headquarters in Wejherowo.
Two trucks were driving against the traffic on S1. How did this happen?Paweł Szot/Fakty TVN
The road to acquittal
Mr. Mariusz found out about the conviction a year and a half later by accident, during a road traffic stop. – He was deprived of any means of subsistence, because when he did not have a license as a professional driver, he could not work – points out Agnieszka Sołtys, a lawyer.
The policemen who believed Mr. Mariusz's drunk brother were punished. – These were disciplinary talks, which result in an entry in the personal files, and a further consequence is the inability to reward them for a period of one month – says Asp. staff. Anetta Potrykus.
Mr. Mariusz's conviction was overturned, but to acquit him, a new trial was started. However, instead of attending the hearing, he was standing in a queue of trucks at the Lithuanian-Polish border today because he did not receive a summons. The court keeps sending them to the false address provided by the brother.
The court received the driver's contact information from a journalist from “Fakty” TVN. He also learned from him that Mr. Mariusz's brother was already in prison. There is still a long way to acquittal, and then you can expect the driver to sue the state for compensation.
Main photo source: Fakty TVN