A letter from PiS MP Marcin Romanowski regarding the renunciation of the status of a professional MP has reached the Chancellery of the Sejm – confirmed to tvn24.pl, the spokeswoman of the Speaker of the Sejm, Katarzyna Karpa-Świderek. Szymon Hołownia previously announced that the former deputy minister of justice would not receive a parliamentary salary or allowance.
PiS MPformer deputy minister of justice Marcin Romanowski, who received political asylum Hungaryon January 2, reported that “he renounced his status as a professional MP” and will not receive parliamentary remuneration as a result. He then published a letter addressed to the Chancellery of the Sejm on the X website. It is dated January 2 and sent from Budapest.
Wirtualna Polska wrote on Monday that the Chancellery of the Sejm received Romanowski's letter. The information was confirmed to tvn24.pl by the spokeswoman of the Speaker of the Sejm, Katarzyna Karpa-Świderek.
Hołownia: Romanowski will not receive a allowance or salary
Last Tuesday, after a meeting of the Presidium of the Sejm, during which, among other things, the Romanowski case was discussed, the Marshal of the Sejm Szymon Hołownia said that Romanowski “decided and announced it publicly that he will not exercise his mandate as an MP in the territory of the Republic of Poland in any way.” – Therefore, since this is his statement, we in the Presidium of the Sejm – me as the Marshal – must simply draw consequences from the decision the MP made – he said.
– These consequences are very simple. Mr. Romanowski will not receive a parliamentary allowance, because the Act on the exercise of the mandate of a deputy and senator clearly states that the allowance is funds related to the exercise of the mandate by a deputy in the country. Due to the above, the diet is not eligible – he explained. In turn, “you are not entitled to the emolument because Mr. Romanowski waived it.”
– There remains a third component of the money that the MP receives, i.e. a lump sum for the maintenance of the MP's office. And here the MP will continue to receive it until the Sejm passes (…) amending the Act on the exercise of the mandate of a deputy and senator. And then the Speaker of the Sejm assumes the rights of the employer towards the MP's employees employed in the office. The Chancellery of the Sejm covers the expenses related to the office and the contracts that have been concluded, Hołownia continued. As he emphasized, “the MP no longer receives any money, everything happens via the Chancellery of the Sejm.”
The Sejm informs that “the parliamentary salary is PLN 12,826.64 gross, and the parliamentary allowance is PLN 4,008.33 gross.”
Marcin Romanowski with allegations
Marcin Romanowski – former deputy minister of justice – is a suspect in the investigation into the Justice Fund. It has been running since February 2024. This is a proceeding covering several issues, including abuse of powers and failure to fulfill duties by the Minister of Justice and ministry officials who were responsible for money from the fund. In the case of Romanowski, who was the deputy head of the Ministry of Justice supervising the Justice Fund in 2019-2023, the prosecutor's office accuses him of committing 11 crimes, including participation in an organized criminal group and fixing competitions for money from this fund.
On December 9, the District Court for Warsaw Mokotów decided on a three-month detention for Romanowski. The MP did not appear at the court hearing, and the prosecutor in charge of the investigation issued an arrest warrant for him. On December 19, Romanowski received political asylum in Hungary. Earlier in the day, the District Court in Warsaw announced the issuance of a European Arrest Warrant against the politician. Interpol was also asked to issue a red notice for the MP.
On December 16, the MP's defense attorney, Bartosz Lewandowski, announced that he had filed a complaint against the court's decision to arrest him. He added that the complaint also requested a stay of execution of the decision until the District Court in Warsaw considers the complaint. The District Court in Warsaw announced last week that the hearing in this case was scheduled for February 13.
Main photo source: Jakub Orzechowski/agencja wyborcza.pl