The European Parliament has lifted the immunities of Law and Justice (PiS) MEPs Mariusz Kaminski and Maciej Wąsik.
The decision relates to an investigation by the Polish prosecutor’s office, which accuses them of violating a final court ruling, since, despite being banned from holding public office, they both took part in deliberations and votes at the Sejm, writes Salon24.
Both politicians considered the motion to lift their immunity to be politically motivated. The European Parliament is also considering similar requests against other conservative Polish MEPs, including Michał Dworczyk, Daniel Obajtek, and Grzegorz Braun.
In January 2024, Remix News reported on Polish President Duda initiating pardons for both politicians. In December 2023, the two had been sentenced to two years in prison for abuse of power — accusations both men strongly deny.
At the time, President Duda believed Kamiński and Wąsik to be the first political prisoners since 1989. He remarked that these individuals, known for pursuing criminals and tackling corruption, may have taken actions disapproved of by many high-profile government officials who took office under the new Tusk government.
However, one of the chambers of the Supreme Court ruled that the president’s pardon was invalid since the whole legal process had not been completed, and the cases were ordered to return to the Court of Appeal.
The speaker of Poland’s parliament then ruled that the two deputies’ mandates as MEPs had expired, a decision the Supreme Court then overruled.
