An agile lawyer from Lower Silesia accused of fraud amounting to almost PLN 3.6 million. They suffered, among others: church institutions

60 people and institutions for fraud of PLN 3.6 million, including: church institutions, the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Lublin charged a 56-year-old lawyer from Oława, Michał K. The man pleaded guilty and wants to voluntarily submit to punishment, among others. prison and fines.

The indictment in this case was sent to the District Court in Zamość, said Beata Syk-Jankowska, spokeswoman for the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Lublin, on Wednesday.

The prosecutor's office accuses the lawyer of committing 60 crimes of fraud and money laundering. He allegedly committed these crimes in the years 2013-2025.

An investigation into this case was initiated in 2022 after the representative of the Zamość-Lubaczów diocese was notified of suspected fraud by the lawyer for PLN 321,000. zloty. Michał K. allegedly misled the representative of the local curia as to the need to establish court deposits.

As Syk-Jankowska reported in the press release, Michał K. was entered on the list of attorneys of the Wrocław Bar Association in 2001, and he ran an individual law firm in Oława. As part of his legal practice, he performed activities in civil and criminal cases, and also participated in canonical criminal procedures.

According to the indictment since at least 2013, the lawyer collected money from clients – including, among others, from orders, provinces, curias, dioceses – for e.g. alleged procedural fees, future property sureties, property security, costs of expert opinion. He assured that they would constitute a court deposit. “This was an act that misled customers as to the need to establish a so-called court deposit,” noted Syk-Jankowska.

The lawyer collected the money in cash and prepared receipts or provided bank account numbers for the transfer. He used the money collected from clients for his own needs.

According to investigators, the amount of money collected in this way and the damage caused by the lawyer is almost PLN 3.6 million.

The prosecutor's office also charged Michał K. the so-called crime money laundering in the amount of over PLN 316,000. zlotywhich he obtained from the crime of extorting funds from at least 12 different people and institutions.

Michał K. pleaded guilty to the crimes he was accused of. “He submitted explanations consistent with the other evidence in the case and a motion to convict him without a trial,” Syk-Jankowska added.

Together with the indictment, the court received a request to issue a conviction against Michał K. without a trial. The lawyer wants to be sentenced to five years in prison and to pay PLN 20,000. PLN fine, ban on practicing as a lawyer for 10 years and the obligation to compensate all injured parties.

Michał K. has been arrested since January 29, 2025. (PAP)

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