Lawyers of the former president of Orlen against the prosecutor's office. The court discontinued the high-profile case
“We express our strong opposition to the content of the statement of the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw,” Krawiec's lawyers wrote. In their opinion investigators misinterpret the law and ignore the detailed justification of the court's decisions.
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The court discontinued the high-profile case of Jacek Krawiec. In the background there are allegations of bribery for Sławomir Nowak
“The position of the Regional Prosecutor's Office is incorrect, based on an incorrect interpretation of the regulations and ignores the detailed justification of the District Court (…) about the obvious lack of factual basis for the accusation,” the statement emphasized.
The prosecutor's office suggests that the court exceeded its competences by discontinuing the proceedings. Krawiec's lawyers respond sharply:
“The claim that the court exceeded its powers is simply wrong and indicates ignorance of the rules of procedure or conscious ignorance of them.”
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They also called for “respecting the limits of judicial independence and the principles of the rule of law”.
The proceedings concerned allegations that Sławomir Nowak – former minister of sports and head of the prime minister's office – allegedly accepted a bribe from Jacek Krawiec in exchange for support in applying for the position of president of PKN Orlen.
In mid-September, the District Court of Warsaw-Mokotów discontinued this threadciting the provision on the “obvious lack of grounds for the accusation”. This was a surprising turn in the case.
On Wednesday, the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw recommended the District Prosecutor's Office to file a complaint to the court's decision. It was this announcement that caused the reaction of Krawiec's defenders.
Detention of Sławomir Nowak in 2020.
Sławomir Nowak was detained in 2020. and heard corruption charges, also regarding work in Ukraine. Jacek Krawiec was also detainedBut the court did not agree to his arrest.
According to investigators, Nowak was trying to get a job for Tailor at Orlen in exchange for money. Nowak himself consistently denied it.
After some of the charges were discontinued, Nowak commented on the court's decision in an interview with TVN:
“I am far from triumphalism, but it restores faith in the justice system. I have bitter satisfaction that in my case the justice system rises from its knees. The entire accusation is based on the slander of the same person.”
The dispute between the court and the prosecutor's office over the fate of this aspect of the case is still ongoing. Now the decision whether the complaint will be submitted and considered will be crucial for the continuation of one of the most high-profile corruption proceedings in recent years.
