A court in Łódź on Wednesday sentenced former justice minister, Civic Platform member of parliament Cezary Grabarczyk, to one year in prison with a one-year suspended sentence, in a lawsuit over illegally obtaining a gun permit. The verdict is invalid.
The trial against a PO politician and two other accused in this case before the District Court of Łódź-Śródmieście has been pending since 2019 and concerned the statement made in 2012 by Cezary Grabarczyk (he allowed the name to be given) to be untrue in the weapons exam report and in the exam cards and abuse of power for personal gain. For the first offense he risked up to eight years in prison, for the second up to ten years in prison.
The court found Grabarczyk guilty.
I consider the accused Cezary Grabarczyk, as part of the alleged act, guilty of having acted on March 19, 2012 in Łódź to obtain personal benefits, consisting of obtaining a license to own two units of combat firearms for personal protection and jointly and with the police officers authorized to issue these documents, attested in the protocol of the examinations for the issue of a firearms permit, examination papers and attendance lists for the theory and practical part of the examinations, the list of shooting results and decisions, with regard to the fact of conducting this investigation and its positive result, exceeding the powers and failing to fulfill the obligations under the Law on Arms and Ammunition and the Ordinance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration
– announced Judge Michał Racięcki.
He sentenced the PO MP to one year in prison and suspended him on probation for one year and a fine of PLN 7,200. He was also obliged to inform the probation officer every five months about the course of the probationary period.
The court imposed the same sentence on Dariusz S., a former PiS MP, who was charged with committing the same crimes as Grabarczyk – exceeding his powers and speaking untruths in connection with the procedure for obtaining a permit for possession of firearms. In turn, for a fine of 12.5 thousand. Doctor Beata J. was convicted, accused by the Katowice Regional Prosecutor’s Office of confirming untruth in the suspect’s medical statements.
The judgments are not final. The defendants were not in court when the verdict was handed down.
proc. Tomasz Pałka from the regional prosecutor’s office in Katowice demanded that Grabarczyk and the other accused of the same act, Dariusz S., be found guilty and demanded one and a half years’ imprisonment with two years’ suspension and a fine of PLN 15,000 each. zloty. Grabarczyk’s defense lawyers and the second defendant argued that they were innocent.
The regional prosecutor’s office in Katowice accused a PO MP of allegedly stating falsehoods in the weapons investigation report and examination cards in 2012 and exceeding his powers to achieve personal gain. At the time, Grabarczyk was a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the Sejm.
On the basis of false documents, a decree was issued allowing the member of parliament to own two combat firearms and a certificate entitling him to purchase such weapons.
The evidence collected by the prosecutor’s office shows, among other things, that Grabarczyk did not participate in the theoretical and practical examination for firearms license applicants before a committee appointed by the provincial police commander in Łódź. Still, he got permission.
At the trial, the politician pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. He gave extensive explanations in the case, but refused to answer the prosecutor’s questions, accusing the prosecutor’s office of “violating the principle of objectivity”.
kk/PAP
Source: wPolityce