Rewritten: Allegations and Official Steps in a High-Profile Prosecution Review

The wPolityce.pl portal has reported and verified that the Internal Affairs Department within the National Public Prosecution Service is reviewing the case involving prosecutor Ewa Wrzosek. The material from wPolityce.pl outlines a sequence of actions described as an arbitrary move by a well-known prosecutor. At the end of last November, she prepared several dozen security-related requests directed at the court without undergoing any formal procedure. The outlet suggests this entire maneuver may be connected to a broader operation drafted by Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, then a member of parliament and currently the Minister of Culture, who allegedly aimed to influence public media in November.

On February 22, wPolityce.pl reported that prosecutor Ewa Wrzosek could have formed a close working relationship with the future Minister of Culture, Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, around the end of November 2023. It is claimed that he sent a number of security-related requests concerning public media companies to her email address and to the general address of the prosecutor’s office. The outlet asserts grounds to claim that prosecutor Wrzosek acted in collaboration with the politician and based on his suggestions: WE DISCLOSURE. The question arises whether a prosecutor communicated by email as part of a behind-the-scenes media operation linked to the minister. Was there guidance from a political figure on what to do with media entities?

Official confirmation has been obtained indicating that Ewa Wrzosek’s case is being handled by the Internal Affairs Department of the Public Prosecution Service.

Case no. 1001-14 Rev. 49.2023 was opened by the Regional Prosecutor in Warsaw via a letter dated December 12, 2023. The document notified WSW PK about the disclosure of unauthorized filings in several district courts across the country, dated November 30, 2023, described as “the request of the officer of justice to secure the claim before initiating proceedings in the case.”

– this summary appears in the National Public Prosecutor’s Office response to inquiries.

On December 14, 2023, WSW PK began an inquiry into the report under the violation of art. 231 par. 1 of the Criminal Code and it remains in its early stages

– additional updates will be provided by the National Public Prosecution Service as available.

Who is telling the truth?

This moment invites examination of the involved parties. Ewa Wrzosek has publicly challenged the editorial staff of the wPolityce.pl portal and the speaker behind the publication since its release. However, the accounts presented by the prosecutor are not always aligned with those of the outlet. In an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza, she asserted that inquiries were not sent to her before the material appeared, a claim that the outlet disputes. The questions reportedly reached Prosecutor Wrzosek’s email on February 21, and earlier via the X-portal on February 9.

When asked what constitutes a lie or manipulation, a journalist from Gazeta Wyborcza sought clarification.

– the response from the journalist.

For instance, the author did not solicit answers before publication, according to the proclaimed assurances. The prosecutor noted that she did not wish to discuss the remaining arguments with the media before charges were filed. She also rejected the claim that she received in November 2023 a set of applications for suspending legal changes in public media entities—Polish radio, regional radio stations, TVP, PAP—as alleged by the outlet.

– she stated in response.

This rebuttal contradicts the claim that the inquiries were not sent to her by February 21. Interestingly, Wrzosek did respond to the email, but she did so after the article had been published, and the author notes that there was nearly a two-week window before her response appeared in public records.

“Hello, I received this request today and given the publication of the article and the statements presented therein, I currently consider it to be irrelevant.”

– the prosecutor’s note.

The interviewer suggested that the prosecutor be invited to share her perspective, even after the material had appeared. The offer included publishing her version either in the existing piece or in a new article, subject to verification. Wrzosek declined this proposal.

The MP’s letter went to the Warsaw-Mokotów District Prosecutor’s Office, and District Prosecutor Monika Laskowska received it, with the inquiry forwarded to the editor’s official prosecutor email

– according to Ewa Wrzosek in a talk with GW.

Official records indicate that the MP’s email was received by Ewa Wrzosek. She confirms this herself. Where do the claims of incomplete reporting originate?

It began with Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz’s November 30 request to the Warsaw-Mokotów District Prosecutor’s Office, urging immediate action to secure changes to public media statutes. The accompanying cover letter indicated distrust toward the prosecutor’s office and included an information letter to convey his position.

– Ewa Wrzosek states that Sienkiewicz sent the application along with the accompanying letter.

The correspondence between Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz and the Warsaw-Mokotów Public Prosecutor’s Office, as well as with Ewa Wrzosek, is part of the files examined by the Internal Affairs Department of the National Public Prosecution Service.

Ms. Wrzosek was offered a chance to comment on the findings from wPolityce.pl and the actions of her superiors, who subsequently withdrew the requests that had been directed to the court. She did not take the opportunity to defend her decisions on the outlet’s site. Instead, she threatened potential legal action and cited Article 212 of the Criminal Code as a means to silence independent journalists. The accusation drew sharp irony, given the involvement of a close associate of Adam Bodnar in discussions about freedom of expression. The situation is viewed by some as a clash between public accountability and media autonomy.

WOJCIECH BIEDROŃ

Source: wPolityce