“Lex Romanowski” adopted by the Sejm

During the evening voting, MPs voted on rejecting the amendments of the Senate to the amendment to the law called “Lex Romanowski”. 424 deputies voted. There was 176 against the rejection, against 229. 19 people abstained. Most absolute It was 213 deputies.

The act will now go to the president's signature.

The amendment to the Act on the performance of the mandate of a deputy and senator, which the Sejm adopted at the end of January, was founded on the initiative of the group of MPs: KO, Polski 2050-TD and PSL-TD. The amendment assumes that the parliamentarian, which has been applied to a temporary custody, will be deprived of the right to salary. In addition, the ban on exercising the rights and obligations arising from the fine will also comply with parliamentarians who have been issued a decision on the application of detention on remand before the date of entry into force of the amendment to the Act. According to the amended act, such parliamentarians will not be able to implement field activities (including exercising the right to intervention or the right to information). They will also not be able to “exercise social and living rights, such as the right to salary or a parliamentary diet.”

Last week, the Senate proposed amendments that clarify exactly what rights and obligations does not perform a MP or senator at deprivation of liberty. It comes, among others for active participation in the work of the Sejm or Senate as well as the National Assembly, and for a whole series of parliamentary rights such as the right to inspect government administration and local government bodies, as well as companies with the participation of the Treasury as well as state -owned plants and enterprises. It was also pointed out that at the time of deprivation of liberty, the parliamentary is not entitled to deputy or senatorial salaries. The Senate amendment states that the above provisions “also apply to a deputy or senator, against whom it is not possible to start a prison sentence or execution of a decision on the application of detention on remand, due to its hiding or absence in the country.” The next amendment states that in the event of discontinuation of criminal proceedings or issuing a judgment acquitting the MP or Senator, the overdue salary and parliamentary diet should be paid. However, this does not apply to conditional discontinuation of criminal proceedings and redemption due to amnesty or limitation. The amendment is commonly called “Lex Romanowski” from the name PiS MPformer Deputy Minister of Justice Marcin Romanowski, who is suspected in the investigation of the Justice Fund. The National Prosecutor's Office accuses him of, among others Participation in an organized criminal group and setting up competitions for money from this fund. These crimes were to include on indicating subordinate employees entities that should be won by competitions for subsidies from the Justice Fund. The politician was also to be ordered to improve wrong offers before their application and allowed the grant to grant entities that did not meet formal and material requirements. Damage caused to the State Treasury amounted to a total of approx. PLN 108 million.

On Thursday, the Sejm agreed that the prosecutor's office would present Romanowski further allegations, according to which he had, among others Transfer to selected entities for offers before their official submission, enabling them to adapt the applications to the competition requirements. Thanks to this, specific foundations and associations were provided with winnings and received millions of subsidies. The prosecutor's office also accuses him of concluding contracts for subsidies at a time when he was no longer authorized to dispose of the funds. Romanowski, who has been prosecuted since December, is in arrest. Hungarywhere he received political asylum. This politician believes that in Poland he cannot count on a fair trial. He also reported that he had waived the status of a professional deputy and therefore he would not receive a deputy's remuneration.