Fr. Michał Olszewski – accused of participating in a criminal group and abusing the Justice Fund – pleaded not guilty and refused to provide explanations on Tuesday. In his statement, he pointed to – in his opinion – irregularities in the activities of the prosecutor's office and services, including the Internal Security Agency and the police.
On Tuesday, the District Court in Warsaw continued the process regarding the transfer of over PLN 66 million from the Justice Fund to the Profeto Foundation (of the almost PLN 100 million awarded). During a five-hour session, the court began to receive explanations from two of the six defendants. One of them – Fr. Olszewski – exercised the right to refuse to submit them, the second – Urszula D. – provided explanations.
In his speech, Fr. Olszewski stated that he did not admit to the charges and considered them incomprehensible, pointing – in his opinion – to the variability of their formulation at subsequent stages of the proceedings and to errors in the names and dates contained in the indictment. He also emphasized that he “did not commit any of the alleged crimes.” – It is very difficult for me to understand that I stand here as a citizen with the presumption of innocence, and I am met with such sloppiness – emphasized Fr. Olszewski, pointing to – as he said – the prosecutor's mistakes regarding, for example, the name of the foundation.
The clergyman justified his decision to refuse to testify by his health condition, including post-traumatic stress disorder, which – according to him – was related to his detention at the end of March 2024 and the conditions of his treatment in custody. In his statement, Fr. Olszewski also raised allegations regarding the actions of the prosecutor's office and services, including the Internal Security Agency and the police, against him and his family and the manner of conducting procedural activities.
– Since leaving prison, I have been harassed by the services, by the Internal Security Agency. My parents are being harassed, for example my mother, who was searched by the Internal Security Agency on suspicion of money laundering because of the small amounts she sent me as an offering for Holy Mass, he said.
The accused priest also expressed concerns about the impartiality of the trial in the context of disputes regarding the functioning of state authorities and the person of the referee, emphasizing that his comment about the fact that “criminals judge criminals” in court is not directed personally at the adjudicating panel. Finally, he requested that he be released from the obligation to participate in the hearings, which the court granted.
Due to the refusal to provide explanations, the court used the provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allowed the introduction of the priest's previous statements made, among others, into the evidence considered by the court. in the investigation.
In an interview with PAP and IAR, Prosecutor Ryszard Pęgal from the investigative team no. 2, which is investigating the rigging of competitions for multi-million grants from the Justice Fund, commented on the priest's statement. One of the suspects in these proceedings is former Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro, against whom on Tuesday the prosecutor filed an application for a European arrest warrant in court. – The accused had the right to provide explanations. He did not exercise this right. However, he exercised his right to make a statement, which is a rather unusual procedure, said the prosecutor.
The second defendant, former head of the Justice Fund Department at the Ministry of Justice, Urszula D., who decided to testify (which will be continued on February 17 at the next court hearing), did not agree with the prosecutor's allegations against her and the assessment that the Profeto Foundation did not meet the formal and substantive requirements to receive the grant.
The point is that with money from the Profeto Foundation, whose work was directed by Fr. Olszewski, launched the “Archipelago – islands free from violence” investment in Warsaw, intended to serve crime victims. According to Urszula D.'s explanations, this was in fact because the expenses for this investment were consistent with one of the three objectives of the Justice Fund, namely helping the injured.
A former official who is also accused of, among others, for participation in an organized criminal group, she also refuted the prosecutor's allegation that – as she said – the content of the announcement of the competition for funds from the Justice Fund was shaped in such a way as to support the Profeto Foundation in its application for a grant.
The case regarding Profeto is conducted by judge Justyna Koska-Janusz in a three-person panel (including jurors). Previous information provided to PAP by the court's press service shows that the defense team's request to exclude lay judges who were appointed to this case just before the start of the trial was not granted. During the proceedings, the court did not accept other formal requests of the defense, but the defenders' request to exclude Judge Koski-Janusz from this case is still being processed. As one of the arguments, they pointed to Koska-Janusz's involvement on one side of the political dispute against the former Minister of Justice, PiS MP Zbigniew Ziobro.
Additionally, on Tuesday – at the beginning of the session – the defense attorney, Fr. Olszewski, attorney Krzysztof Wąsowski asked for an explanation of the court's decision of January 28 regarding maintaining the ban on contacts between co-defendants, pointing to its practical consequences in terms of sitting the defendants next to each other on a bench in the courtroom. Defense lawyers also raised the issue of lack of Internet access in the courtroom.
During the meeting, an incident occurred in which the police, on the court's order, forcibly removed one of the people from the audience due to obstruction of the court proceedings.
The case regarding the Profeto Foundation stems from an indictment filed by the National Prosecutor's Office in February 2025 and covers one of the threads of the investigation regarding the Justice Fund. The proceedings concern the transfer of funds to the foundation despite – according to the prosecutor's office – failure to meet formal and substantive requirements. All the defendants, as they stated on Tuesday, pleaded not guilty; apart from the priest Olszewski also decided to provide explanations and answer questions from the court and defense lawyers, but not the prosecutor's office. (PAP)
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