Michał Kuczmierowski says he will not return to Poland. That is, he will escape within the meaning of criminal law and hide from law enforcement agencies – said the spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office, Przemysław Nowak, commenting on the interview with the former president of the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves, who is wanted on an arrest warrant. The spokesman assessed that prosecutors may use his words in court.
Wanted on an arrest warrant for Michał Kuczmierowski, former president of the Government Agency for Strategic Reservesargued in an interview that he was currently in London and was looking for a job there. He announced that he wanted to return to Poland when “he would have a guarantee of a fair trial”. He also assessed that the Polish prosecutor's office was politicized, and that he himself was being prosecuted for the needs of a “nice picture” for the current government. Kuczmierowski spoke to a favorable PIS wPolityce.pl, which spread government propaganda during the time of the previous government.
PK spokesman: He says he won't come back. That means he will escape within the meaning of the law
After the interview was published, the spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office, Prosecutor Przemysław Nowak, explained in an interview with TVN24 that “the premise for the court to issue (the decision in the case – ed.) temporary arrest for the purpose of issuing a subsequent arrest warrant is to establish that the suspect is in hiding”. – This is a premise that is specified in the provisions of criminal procedure – he added.
– The court, when applying the arrest at the prosecutor's request, agreed with the prosecutor that we have a suspicion that the suspect is hiding – he explained.
He noted that “in this interview, if the interview is also authentic, Mr. Kuczmierowski says that he will not return to Poland”. – So (…) he will escape within the meaning of criminal law and hide from law enforcement agencies until some conditions are met – Nowak continued.
In his opinion, “prosecutors may use these statements, for example, in court, because there will be an appeal by the defense attorneys against the decision on temporary arrest.” – The court will also be able to take this statement into account – added the TVN24 interlocutor.
What is this case about?
The charges leveled against Kuczmierowski are the result of an investigation into irregularities at the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves, which he headed. In addition to him, the charges are also directed against Paweł Szopa, the creator of the Red is Bad clothing brand.
According to prosecutors, evidence was obtained that allows them to be charged with “participating in an organized criminal group and exceeding their authority and failing to fulfill their obligations in order to gain a material benefit,” which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
However, the PK announced last week that “the suspects' whereabouts in the country are unknown, which made it impossible to carry out procedural activities involving them”. Therefore, at the prosecutor's request, the court agreed to apply temporary arrest to Kuczmierowski. As the PK spokesman explained, this is temporary arrest issued to enable the search under an arrest warrant.
The investigation was initiated in December 2023 at the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, and in April 2024 it was taken over by the Silesian Branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor's Office in Katowice.
It concerns, among other things, the commission of from February 2021 to November 2023 exceeding the powers and failing to fulfil the duties of RARS employees in order to gain financial benefits. This concerns, among others, the delivery of power generators to the government agency by Paweł Szopa's companies for PLN 350 million, even though he had previously purchased them in China for less than 70 million zlotys.
Main image source: Leszek Szymanski/PAP