Parliamentary Inquiry Opens New Questions on Postal Elections Conduct
On Wednesday, members of the parliamentary inquiry committee focusing on postal elections prepared to hear from a range of witnesses, including Jacek Sasin, the former head of MAP and a member aligned with PiS. The committee chair, Dariusz Joński of KO, stated that Sasin would be asked to clarify why, despite reservations about the government’s ability to run the elections, he announced them and directed Poczta Polska to get them ready. The aim is to understand the rationale behind those decisions and to scrutinize the planning and execution of the process, as reported by PAP.
The inquiry panel is set to reconvene, with former Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin and former Deputy Minister Tomasz Szczegielniak slated for questioning. Earlier in the week, Artur Soboń, who served as deputy head of MAP, answered most questions by asserting that he had spoken freely and thoroughly within his rights.
Ionian attack
Dariusz Joński, the commission head, stressed in an interview with PAP that in 2020 Sasin oversaw Poczta Polska as the administrator of election logistics whenEnvelope voting arrangements were underway under the MAP umbrella. The inquiry aims to press for full clarity on these actions and the sequence of events that followed.
Joński signaled a two-day interrogation for Sasin as a possibility, underscoring the need to uncover why the decision was made to hold elections during a peak period of the pandemic.
He asked why, with citizens largely staying at home, the plan was advanced to announce elections and to commission Poczta Polska to prepare them, arguing that substantial public funds were at stake and meaningful questions existed about whether those funds would be recoverable or wasted.
The chairman pointed to the broader issue of why the government entrusted election logistics to Poczta Polska. He highlighted that the National Electoral Commission is the lawful body responsible for organizing elections, and suggested that directing other state entities to manage the process could set a controversial precedent for future administrations.
Joński believes Sasin’s testimony could be pivotal in clarifying the case, given Sasin’s active role in meetings, oversight of the postal service, and involvement in related decisions. The committee is looking to determine whether the 70 million PLN involved will be repaid to the state treasury.
Asked whether Sasin might follow Artur Soboń’s lead and avoid answering questions, Joński dismissed the idea, affirming that no one from PiS would be allowed to evade the Commission’s scrutiny.
In another update, Sobon suggested he expected to appear again before the committee, implying that additional chance for clarification could be forthcoming.
Request for punishment
Joński announced that the committee had submitted to the court a request for a financial penalty against Soboń due to his conduct during testimony. A second measure concerns a potential criminal inquiry into actions observed, and a third contemplates a possible re-examination of Soboń by the committee.
From Joński’s perspective, exposing publicly to scrutiny was part of the parliamentary duty to investigate and question. The aim is to ensure witnesses engage fully with the inquiry and to prevent any attempts to stall the process.
The broader resolution establishing the inquiry into the legality, regularity, and aims of the 2020 presidential postal voting measures includes examining the legislative steps taken by those in power, the administrative decisions involved, and whether those actions led to the misallocation of public resources or improper management of state assets.
Representatives from the December 13 Coalition have signaled that the principal objective is safeguarding accountability and preventing political retaliation from overshadowing the inquiry. This sentiment has been echoed in recent remarks by Joński, underscoring the seriousness with which the committee views its mandate.
Gah/PAP
Source: wPolityce