The Monday edition of Rzeczpospolita published an article about Izdebski and the Internal Security Agency. A spokesman for the minister coordinating special services stated that the piece contains false information and misleads readers. The assertion was made as the article’s claims were assessed against the applicable laws and the agency’s statutory powers, and it was noted that the actions described contributed to the recovery of tens of millions of zlotys from an advance for ventilator purchases.
The article, authored by Izabela Kacprzak and Grażyna Zawadka and titled Izdebski under the care of the Internal Security Agency, appeared in the daily newspaper on August 22, 2022. According to the publisher, the piece relies on misinformation and misleads readers. The headline and subtitle imply a broader narrative about the agency, encouraging readers to form conclusions about the agency’s role in a case under discussion, which the spokesperson said distorts the content of the article.
The same concerns were echoed in an August 23, 2022 edition under the headline The Internal Security Agency Knew and Kept Silent, available in the newspaper’s online edition, the spokesperson noted.
The spokesperson also stated that it is not true that at the Interior Security Agency’s request Interpol issued a notice to prevent the issuance of a red notice or the prosecution of Andrzej I. in Europe. The agency did not request Interpol in relation to the matter described in the reports. The agency proceeded with its own legal steps in the Andrzej I case, including activities connected with data entry into the Schengen Information System SIS II, as explained by the spokesperson.
Withdrawal of an entry from the system
In June this year, following a prosecutor’s office request concerning Andrzej I, the Internal Security Service withdrew access from SIS II to enable prosecutorial activities. Consequently, the assertion that the agency’s actions influenced the prosecution of Andrzej I is not accurate, the spokesperson emphasized.
The spokesperson added that the ABW acted within the law and within its statutory powers. Among other things, the agency actively examined the work related to the purchase of respirators and supported actions aimed at recovering funds from the treasury. The agency’s efforts helped recover tens of millions of zlotys, a substantial portion of the advance paid for respirators in 2020 in relation to Andrzej I, the spokesman stated.
It was noted that the prosecutor’s office is the custodian of material provided by the Internal Security Service about Andrzej I and the entities under his oversight, the spokesman explained.
The head of the Internal Security Agency reportedly requested the editor in chief of Rzeczpospolita to address the publication containing false information in line with the provisions of the Press Act, according to the press spokesperson for the minister coordinating secret services.
mly / PAP