Marcin Romanowski, a member of the Sovereign Poland party and former deputy justice minister in the conservative government, was detained by security services on Monday.
The arrest follows last Friday’s vote in parliament, where lawmakers approved a motion to strip Romanowski of his parliamentary immunity, allowing for his prosecution on 11 counts as requested by the prosecutor’s office. Additionally, the Sejm sanctioned his arrest and detention. The charges allege numerous irregularities in the management of the Justice Fund.
Despite Romanowski not hiding and declaring his full willingness to cooperate with the prosecution, he was arrested by officers from the Internal Security Agency (ABW), accompanied by television crews.
Romanowski’s attorney, Bartosz Lewandowski, has denounced the detention as an unlawful infringement on Romanowski’s rights, citing a “second immunity” due to his membership in the delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Lewandowski stated that the charges against Romanowski are legally ineffective and highlighted that no request for temporary arrest was made. He also informed that after a hearing in the prosecutor’s office, Romanowski was transported to a medical facility due to health concerns and refused to sign the arrest protocols, deeming them illegal.
Despite the prosecutor’s office addressing the immunity granted by the Council of Europe’s assembly, Lewandowski reiterated that Romanowski’s detention was unjustifiable and announced plans to file a complaint to the chairman of the assembly.
The arrest has provoked a wave of reactions among politicians. Former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki labeled the arrest as a purely political act aimed at intimidating the opposition, devoid of any real concern for truth or the well-being of Poland and its people.
“Marcin Romanowski openly declared that he would voluntarily present himself to the National Prosecutor’s Office. He was not hiding. Yet, he had to be spectacularly detained, for drama, for spectacle, for effect. It’s disgusting and shameful. Marcin! We are with you! We will not cease fighting this blatant injustice. Our support to you and your loved ones!” wrote Morawiecki in an emotional post on the X platform.
Government-aligned politicians expressed satisfaction, with MEP Marcin Kierwiński promising further actions against the PiS party and Michał Szczerba proclaiming “an end to impunity.”
