Zbigniew Ziobro – expert opinion on the possibility of hearing before the Pegasus inquiry committee. Comments

The parliamentary committee on surveillance of Pegasus received an expert opinion on the state of health Zbigniew Ziobroformer Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General. As she said head of the commission Magdalena Srokathe opinion allows Ziobro to be questioned before the committee. – I am glad that Minister Zbigniew Ziobro has returned to health and today we can proceed to verify his knowledge about Pegasus – said Sroka.

Zbigniew Ziobro wrote on social media on Tuesday that he was surprised by the information about the opinion issued regarding his health condition.

“No expert examined me or even spoke to me. What's more, neither the expert, nor the prosecutor's office or the investigative committee asked me for current medical records. And yet I am undergoing treatment in several centers, including abroad,” he said.

“I am currently undergoing very intensive rehabilitation to get back to health. It is very exhausting, but I am optimistic,” Ziobro added.

Ziobro also repeated his words in a talk with Radio Eska.

In this regard, we asked Magdalena Sroka about the circumstances in which the expert opinion was issued.

“The opinion was prepared by a forensic medical expert appointed at the request of the committee by the National Prosecutor's Office. Questions about the methodology of its preparation should be directed to the Prosecutor's Office. As a committee, we did not undertake any activities related to collecting medical documentation of Zbigniew Ziobro,” she wrote in response.

READ PREMIUM TEXT: Pegasus. A tool of political warfare and unlimited surveillance. Of all of us.

The spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office, Przemysław Nowak, commented on this issue, informing that the prosecutor's office had obtained documentation from five national medical facilities, including hospitals. – We provided the documentation to the expert. The expert issued an opinion on this basis. It is up to the expert to assess whether this documentation was sufficient – he indicated.

– In this case, the expert considered that direct examination and any further documentation were not necessary for him to issue an opinion. The prosecutor did not contact Zbigniew Ziobro, because there was no such need – noted prosecutor Nowak.

He added that the expert did not request that Ziobro be examined, and the documentation was obtained directly from medical facilities, which – as the PK spokesman emphasized – “is a standard procedure”.

Professor Maciej Gutowski from the Faculty of Law and Administration of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań spoke about the legal aspect of issuing an expert opinion in an interview with TVN24. The lawyer pointed out that the prosecutor's office “had to get a medical opinion from somewhere”, but “does not necessarily have to have it from Minister Ziobro”. He added that investigators could, for example, contact the hospital.

The deputy head of the Pegasus Commission, Tomasz Trela ​​from the Left, also spoke about the matter.

– We wanted to summon Mr. Ziobro a few months ago, he was hiding behind his health condition, and now we have it in black and white, as the expert says – “Mr. Ziobro may be summoned, he may be questioned”. So why wait here? I think October is a good time for Mr. Ziobro to come before the committee. And I think he will not be so eager to come either, so maybe we will have to use other methods, for example having the police bring him in – he said.

Marcin Bosacki from the Civic Coalition, another member of the parliamentary investigative committee, said that Ziobro was the “most key” witness, apart from the former heads of the secret services Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik– Because he – firstly – knows how Pegasus was bought, because it was bought from his Justice Fund and – secondly – he knows how and against whom Pegasus was used, because he or his deputy, the national prosecutor, had to agree to it – he said.

According to Sebastian Kaleta from Sovereign Poland, a former deputy minister of justice when Ziobro was the head of this ministry, the former minister “would not have the obligation, and even would not have the right” to reveal any information to this investigative committee because – as he stated – “it was established by the Sejm in an unconstitutional manner”. This decision was made by the Constitutional Tribunal on September 10. and the adjudicating panel included, among others, former PiS MP Stanislaw Piotrowicz.