The deputy minister of foreign affairs within the Ministry of Justice clarified on a Polish Radio program that the detention of Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik was an action by state authorities conducted within the law. She noted that the Presidential Palace is not an extraterritorial location.
State Secretary Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz was asked about the case and emphasized that political prisoners are not involved here. She affirmed that there is faith in the operation of the rule of law, explaining that a crime exists, a verdict is issued, and a punishment follows.
When questioned about how Kamiński and Wąsik were detained and the police access to the Presidential Palace, she stated that the Presidential Palace is not outside the jurisdiction of the state. Police were present to detain individuals who held an arrest warrant tied to a final court decision.
The president’s move drew surprise, yet Rudzińska-Bluszcz remarked that the country remains constitutional. State authorities function within legal bounds, and yesterday’s police actions demonstrated that reality.
– she commented.
Detention of Maciej Wąsik and Mariusz Kamiński
The Warsaw Police Department confirmed the detention of Kamiński and Wąsik, who were staying at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday evening. The former CBA head, the former interior minister, and his deputy were convicted on December 20 of last year, receiving a two-year prison sentence in connection with a land scandal.
The case resurfaced after more than eight years due to a Supreme Court ruling in June. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court, after cassation appeals by assistant prosecutors, overturned the termination of the case filed by a Warsaw district court in March 2016 in relation to a pardon law used by President Andrzej Duda. The case was sent back to the Supreme Court for reconsideration.
On Monday, the Warsaw Śródmieście District Court announced the preparation of executive documentation, including orders to transfer both convicts to penitentiary units.
That same day, the president met with the Speaker of the Sejm to discuss politicians. After the meeting, the president suggested that recognizing the 2015 pardon as effective could resolve the Kamiński and Wąsik case, though no agreement was reached with the speaker.
The speaker stated that his position on the issue was clearly conveyed to the president.
There was a public assertion that Kamiński and Wąsik had fought corruption, with no one disputing their effort or patriotism. The focus remained on the specific act under scrutiny and whether it constituted a crime by state officials.
– he highlighted.
On Tuesday, Kamiński and Wąsik participated in the ceremony appointing presidential advisers at the Presidential Palace. They remained there before police detained them in the evening inside the presidential precincts.
Rudzińska-Bluszcz had recently put in a bid for the role of Human Rights Ombudsman. In her current capacity as deputy justice minister in the new administration, she signaled no issue with the arrest of two PiS parliamentarians who had been pardoned by the president.
tkwl/PAP
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Notes from ongoing discussions indicate a high-stakes dialogue around constitutional authority, presidential prerogatives, and the limits of executive mercy in a political landscape under intense scrutiny.