A letter from Włodzimierz Karpiński’s representatives, dated November 3, was delivered to the Secretariat of the Chairman of the Sejm on November 8, together with Karpiński’s letter dated October 20, in which he stated that he agreed to the mandate of a member of the European Parliament – confirmed the Sejm Information Center to PAP.
Włodzimierz Karpiński, who is in custody, agreed to take up the mandate of a Member of the European Parliament – RMF FM reported on Wednesday morning that Karpiński had already sent a letter to the President of the Sejm stating that he would take up the mandate to take.
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The Sejm Information Center, in response to PAP’s question whether it acknowledges receipt of the letter and whether the President of the Sejm will now inform the EP of the effective election of the deputy, stated that the letter from the representatives by Mr Włodzimierz Karpiński, dated 3 November 2023, was sent to the Secretariat of the Speaker of the Sejm on 8 November this year.
Karpiński statement
As stated, “the attachment to this letter is a letter signed by Mr Włodzimierz Karpiński dated 20 October this year, in which he stated that he agreed to take up the mandate of Member of the European Parliament.”
In its response, CIS also explained that “the procedure for accepting the mandate of a Member of the European Parliament is regulated in art. 364 et seq. of the Electoral Act.
We would like to point out that the authorities obliged to act in this matter must take appropriate steps to fulfill the mandate in accordance with the order of the persons who have priority to assume the mandate. After collecting all the documentation on this issue, it will be possible to answer the question of who will take over the MEP mandate vacated by Krzysztof Hetman, MP-elect for the 10th term of the Sejm.
– CIS reported.
Karpiński stood as a candidate of the European Coalition in the 2019 European Parliament elections. However, he did not receive a mandate as a member of the European Parliament. The MEP from this list is Krzysztof Hetman, who has just won a seat in the Polish Sejm and plans to get it. Joanna Mucha should have gone to the European Parliament under Hetman, but she was also elected to the Polish parliament. The next eligible to become a MEP would be Riad Haidar, but the politician died in May this year. Ultimately, the EP mandate goes to the next candidate: Włodzimierz Karpiński.
In the Karpiński case, an open letter was sent by his sons: Michał, Andrzej, Jan, Franciszek and Wojciech Karpiński.
Włodzimierz Karpiński is our Father. And we are proud of Him! Today we would like to inform you on his behalf that he intends to take up the mandate of Member of the European Parliament and that his handwritten declaration has been submitted to the President of the Sejm, as person responsible for the procedure for the appointment of our Father as President of the European Parliament. the mandate. Today, this is the only way to end the absurd, unjustified and devastating detention imposed on him at the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Katowice and which has lasted for more than eight months. He is imprisoned as a hostage of political interests in view of a campaign planned by PiS. Our Father will accept the mandate, including to speak in the European Parliament about the application and implementation of legal provisions in Poland
– we read in the letter.
What about the procedure?
Karpiński’s sons also emphasize that “accepting the mandate will not interrupt the prosecution’s proceedings.”
So this is not an escape from responsibility. We will wait patiently for the court’s decision, in the belief that if you are an honest person, are involved in politics and belong to the wrong party, you do not have to go to prison in Poland.
– emphasized in the letter.
In September this year, the Court of Appeal in Katowice decided that Karpiński will remain in custody until at least November 24. This decision is final, so the suspect will only then be released. As of Wednesday, investigators had not submitted a new request to the court to extend the arrest, but they will do so by next Friday, as PAP learned. The Public Prosecution Service recalls that the courts previously did not accept the defense’s calls to release the suspect, pointing to the high probability of the suspect’s misconduct, the risk of severe penalties and the fear of fraud.
Karpiński faces a prison sentence of up to twelve years. He is one of several suspects in the investigation conducted by the Silesian PK department, and he is the only one still arrested.
gah/PAP
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.