The application of temporary arrest against Michał K. is necessary to ensure the proper course of proceedings – said the spokesman of the National Prosecutor's Office, prosecutor Przemysław Nowak in TOK FM. In his opinion, in the case of the former RARS chief, there is a real fear of escape and hiding.
The former head of the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves (RARS), Michał K., was detained in London on Monday on the basis of a European Arrest Warrant issued by the District Court in Warsaw and an arrest warrant covering United Kingdom Great Britain and Ireland Northern.
On Tuesday, Westminster Magistrates' Court ruled that Michał K. will remain in custody until his extradition hearing. The court has set a hearing date for February 17-19 next year.
Read more: He refused to be extradited and will remain in custody.
Former RARS president Michał K. did not agree to extradition to PolandMaciej Woroch/Fakty TVN
PK: temporary arrest necessary for the proper course of proceedings
According to the spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office, Przemysław Nowak, this is a good decision by the British court. – We believed and believe that the application of temporary arrest is necessary to ensure the proper course of proceedings – Nowak said on TOK FM.
He assessed that otherwise there would be a real fear of escape and hiding. He added that the previous behavior of Michał K. – who left Poland and claimed that he would not return to the country if certain conditions were not met – made this scenario probable.
The PK spokesman pointed out that Great Britain is not in the European Union, and therefore the deadlines for the European Arrest Warrant do not apply in this country. – Here we have a slightly more complicated legal instrument, which is the arrest warrant and subsequent proceedings, although it is not as complicated an instrument as in the case of extradition to other countries outside the Union, outside Europe – he added.
Michał K. in custody
The case is related to an investigation into irregularities at the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves and the charges against K., including participation in an organized criminal group. He faces up to 10 years in prison. Another suspect in the investigation is businessman Paweł Szopa, for whom the prosecutor's office has issued an arrest warrant.
The proceedings regarding irregularities in RARS were initiated on December 1, 2023. They are currently being conducted by the Silesian Branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor's Office in Katowice. They concern, among others, exceeding their powers and failing to fulfill their duties by RARS employees while organizing and processing the purchase of goods, and thus acting to the detriment of the public interest from February 23, 2021 to November 27, 2023 in Warsaw in order to achieve financial benefits.
Main image source: pap