Poland: says the head of state "upset" by the arrest of a former minister in the presidential palace Franceinfo

A Polish appeals court sentenced a former interior minister to two years in prison for overstepping his duties in a 2007 case.

Published on January 10, 2024 5:44 p.m

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Polish President Andrzej Duda on December 13, 2023 in Warsaw (Poland). (WOJTEK RADWANSKI / AFP)

Polish President Andrzej Duda said he was “deeply shocked” by the arrest of former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski at the presidential palace the previous day. However, he calls on his compatriots to calm down. “I firmly believe that (…) we are able to restore honesty and justice in the Polish state,” he said.

The arrests of the ex-minister and his close associate Maciej Wasik, two figures from the populist Law and Justice party (PiS), took place late on Tuesday. In December, a Polish court sentenced the two men on appeal to two years in prison for dereliction of duty in a 2007 case.

The “Law and Justice” party is calling for demonstrations

Andrzej Duda, himself a member of the PiS, said on Wednesday that he was convinced of her innocence and the illegality of the arrest. He emphasized that he would work “legally” for the release of the two men.

The two men elected as MPs in October's elections have had their parliamentary mandates withdrawn, which they refuse to acknowledge. Mariusz Kaminski, who considers himself a “political prisoner,” announced a hunger strike.

The country, led for almost a month by the pro-European coalition that pushed nationalist populists from power, is in political crisis. Both camps accuse each other of violating the rule of law. PiS leaders have called on their supporters to hold a demonstration planned for Thursday in front of parliament in Warsaw against the new government's decisions.