First, the committee is urged to invite Jarosław Gowin to the Envelope Elections Inquiry Committee because his deep knowledge on the matter could benefit the panel, stated the chairman, Dariusz Joński, after the meeting.
The Sejm investigative committee examining the so-called envelope elections of 2020 plans to call several individuals as witnesses, including former Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin, former Sejm Speaker Elżbieta Witek, former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, former head of MAP Jacek Sasin, former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration Mariusz Kamiński, former head of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery Michał Dworczyk, and PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński.
Gowin as a potential first witness
Joński informed the press agency that he would propose to the commission’s presidium that the next session, planned for January 9, begin with an briefing on the epidemiological situation at that time. The briefing would be prepared by Professor Robert Flisiak, named as an expert by the committee.
On that same day, the committee anticipated that former Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin, who has extensive expertise in the field, would testify and challenge the organization of the elections. The committee could rely on his insights to craft a thorough report, according to Joński.
He added that the commission’s work plan envisions monitoring the preparation and conduct of the 2020 elections through correspondence voting, while preserving a chronological account of events.
It began with the pandemic, then moved to regulations, decrees, and finally an order affecting Poczta Polska and Polska Wytwórnia Papiern Wojennych Wartościowych.
The commission agreed to request documents from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of State Assets, the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, the Polish Post, and the Polish Security Printing House, including correspondence on preparations for postal voting.
Joński noted that the committee seeks to obtain these documents within 14 days.
We asked for 14 days, but in practice it can stretch to a month. In previous committees it was even longer. Christmas and New Year’s Eve are approaching, and a large volume of documents is expected, acknowledged Joński.
The Commission of Inquiry on Envelope Elections is tasked with investigating and assessing the legality, regularity, and purposefulness of actions taken in preparing and implementing the 2020 presidential elections by government authorities, particularly actions by Cabinet members including Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin, and the officials assigned to them.
The resolution also calls for examining the legislative processes pursued by those in power in connection with alleged electoral circumvention, the administrative decisions made, and whether those in power created an unfavorable disposition of public resources or mismanaged public treasury assets or other legal institutions’ property.
Important witness hearings remain a focus, with attention on figures such as Rafał Trzaskowski and Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, as noted by Waldemar Buda of PiS.
The inquiry aims to assess why the postal elections were contested and who benefited from the situation, discussing possible interests behind the actions and outcomes of the process.
Going forward, Joński reiterated that the request to hear key witnesses, including Rafał Trzaskowski and Kidawa-Błońska, will be repeated at each committee meeting, as emphasized by PiS members.
KO representatives on the committee, including Dariusz Joński, Jacek Karnowski, and Magdalena Filiks, proposed summoning ten individuals, a motion that was approved by the committee.
The Commission’s mandate, as outlined in the resolution, remains to investigate the legality, regularity, and purposefulness of actions taken in the 2020 postal voting process, focusing on high-level government actions and the subordinate officials involved, with careful consideration of whether such actions affected public resources or treasury assets.
This inquiry process is also framed around examining the legislative steps taken by those in power in relation to alleged election circumvention and the issuance of administrative decisions.
[citation: wPolityce]