The Regional Prosecutor's Office in Wrocław has filed a motion to the court for temporary arrest of former judge Tomasz Szmydt, suspected of committing crimes in the so-called hate scandal. Szmydt is in Belarus, and it is about the possibility of being wanted on an arrest warrant.
The spokesperson for the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Wrocław, Prosecutor Anna Zimoląg, announced on Friday in a statement that during the investigation into the so-called hate scandal, the prosecutor filed a motion to the court to apply temporary arrest to former judge Tomasz Szmydt. He is suspected of committing crimes as part of an organized criminal group whose members acted to the detriment of judges of common courts, primarily those associated with the Association of Polish Judges Iustitia.
“They disclosed information to unauthorized persons”
“These proceedings investigate actions taken by a number of public officials, including those from the Ministry of Justice, who, using the functions and positions held in the justice system, committed crimes related to the unauthorized processing of judges' personal data contained in various types of official documents, and also disclosed information obtained in the course of performing official duties to unauthorized persons,” the press release reads.
The prosecutor explained that this information was, among other things, provided to journalists for publication and disclosed on social networking sites where content insulting and defamatory of judges was published.
– Members of the group also exceeded their powers by taking steps to initiate disciplinary proceedings against aggrieved judges. The actions taken by members of the criminal group were aimed at discrediting judges in public opinion, causing them to feel fear, and thus discouraging them from criticizing the reforms of the justice system – added the spokeswoman.
There will be an arrest warrant for Szmydt
She noted that the prosecutor requested the application of temporary arrest against Tomasz Szmydt, as it is necessary to initiate a search for the suspect with an arrest warrant due to the fact that he is not at his place of residence, is hiding from law enforcement agencies, and is staying in the territory of Belarus.
The Regional Prosecutor's Office in Wrocław is investigating the so-called hate scandal in the Ministry of Justice with a three-person team. The investigation covers the period up to August 20, 2019. In June, prosecutor Zimoląg announced that prosecutors conducting the case had filed charges and questioned Tomasz Szmydt's ex-wife. “She has already heard the charges and has been questioned,” prosecutor Zimoląg said at the time. The spokeswoman did not provide details about the charges. She is the first of the suspects and, for now, the only one in the investigation into the so-called hate scandal.
He fled to Belarus
Tomasz Szmydt requested asylum in Belarus in early May. He resigned from his position as judge by correspondence. The National Prosecutor's Office charged him in absentia with espionage and issued an arrest warrant for him. The District Court in Warsaw issued a European Arrest Warrant for the former judge suspected of espionage.
Also in June, the prosecutor filed motions to lift the immunity of four judges in connection with the investigation into the so-called hate scandal and referred them to the Supreme Court. The investigators want to bring charges against judges Łukasz P., Arkadiusz C., Przemysław R. and Jakub I. The investigation into the so-called hate scandal was initially conducted by the District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, later by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Lublin, and was then transferred to the District Prosecutor's Office in Świdnica. – The preparatory proceedings were initiated by a notification submitted by a member of parliament The Sejm of the Republic of Poland (…). The Association of Polish Judges Iustitia also filed a notification of suspected crimes committed by individuals belonging to the “KASTA” group operating on the WhatsApp messenger – prosecutor Zimoląg reported earlier. According to articles published in the second half of August 2019 by the Onet.pl portal, the then deputy head of the Ministry of Justice Łukasz P. maintained contact on social media with a woman named Emilia (she used the nickname Mała Emi), who was supposed to conduct actions discrediting some judges, including the president of Iustitia, prof. Krystian Markiewicz. This was supposed to have been done with the knowledge of the deputy minister. A member of the hate group was, among others, P.'s subordinate, judge Tomasz Sz., a judge of the Voivodship Administrative Court in Warsaw, who was working at the Ministry of Justice at that time.