In an unprecedented transfer, a brand new Polish MEP will come to Brussels immediately from a jail cell — after his colleague MEP Krzysztof Hetman left for Poland’s decrease chamber Sejm.
Włodzimierz Karpiński, a former treasury minister underneath Donald Tusk’s earlier Civic Coalition authorities, has been in detention for over eight months.
However he was launched on Thursday (16 November) to take up his seat within the European Parliament, his lawyer instructed EUobserver.
It will ”put an finish to the absurd, unjustified and devastating arrest” of Karpiński, his sons defined in an open letter to Polish media.
Karpiński was detained final February, suspected of accepting a PLN 5 million (€1.2m) bribe from a waste firm working within the capital when he was a secretary within the Warsaw Metropolis Corridor.
In an interview with EUobserver, his advocate Michał Królikowski defined {that a} request for Karpiński’s launch from jail was rejected by the prosecution on two events.
He additionally mentioned that one other trial is deliberate for Monday (20 November) which can nonetheless delay his detention once more.
Karpiński has been underneath short-term arrest for over 250 days. ”Throughout this time the prosecutor has questioned him 3 times, as soon as at his request. The interrogations lasted a complete of about 10 hours. 10 hours versus greater than 6,000 hours spent in a cell,” the sons emphasised.
”The costs towards my shopper had been introduced on very poor proof. The detention is unjust, excessively lengthy and unwarranted,” Karpiński’s lawyer added.
When requested for a touch upon the beginning of the mandate of the brand new MEP, the European Parliament mentioned that these standards rely on nationwide legislation.
”The election [and] the appointment of the alternative Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) is solely within the arms of the competent nationwide authorities,” an official instructed EUobserver.
When Królikowski knowledgeable the earlier Polish Sejm speaker, Elżbieta Witek of the outgoing Regulation and Justice get together, in regards to the intention of his shopper to change into a MEP, she merely ignored this declaration and did not situation a call.
Neither did she inform the prosecutor about it, so the situations of releasing Karpiński to let him change into MEP weren’t met.
Karpinski has change into ”a sufferer of the Polish judicial system, which has not charged him, he’s nonetheless harmless, that is why ought to have the proper to simply accept the MEP mandate after which have immunity waived to have the ability to testify in entrance of the court docket,” Socialist & Democrats MEP Bogusław Liberadzki instructed EUobserver.
This week the brand new Polish parliament was sworn in and the brand new Sejm speaker, Szymon Hołownia from Polska2050 (Renew Europe), signed paperwork informing Karpiński and two different Polish politicians they might take up their seats within the EU parliament.
This comes after three present Polish MEPs went the opposite means, taking their mandates on the parliament in Warsaw.
However Hołownia’s transfer has been met with howls of opposition from PiS lawmakers.
”This choice casts a shadow over Hołownia and exposes his true political intentions…cementing the previous system, together with the one related to the Civic Platform, by making certain impunity for these dealing with severe corruption fees,” mentioned Regulation and Justice spokesman Rafał Bochenek.
On Thursday, the brand new Sejm speaker’s declaration to the nationwide prosecutor’s workplace formally revoked Karpiński’s arrest.
Catalan comparability
The European authorities have been very guarded with their statements in regards to the Polish ’MEP in jail’ case, since a earlier choice made in relation to the case of Spanish Catalan politician, Oriol Junqueras, proved to be hasty and led to a significant row with Madrid.
In 2019, the European Court docket of Justice had dominated that the imprisoned Catalan politician, as soon as elected as an MEP, was entitled to immunity, and allowed to journey to a swearing-in ceremony on the Spanish parliament.
However the reason for imprisonment for the Polish politician is said to a prison offence, Genowefa Grabowska, a legislation professor and former socialist MEP, instructed EUobsever.
Grabowska argues accepting Karpiński as an MEP shall be ”a disgrace” — which may trigger ”yet one more corrupting blemish on the repute of the European Parliament, comparable to letting again Eva Kaili take her MEP’s duties”.
In keeping with Grabowska, it might be significantly better if Civic Platform proposed one other ”much less controversial politician”.
Karpiński’s lawyer instructed EUobserver, nonetheless, that his shopper ”stays firmly satisfied of his innocence”.
As soon as launched from custody due to his MEP’s immunity, he is not going to keep away from investigators, the lawyer additionally mentioned.
”The one factor that can change is that he’ll lastly testify freed from cost, as ought to have been the case for the reason that starting of the method,” Karpiński’s lawyer mentioned.
In October’s parliamentary elections in Poland, the PiS received the most important assist, however even with the far-right Confederation, it’s unlikely to type a governing coalition.
The brand new authorities in Poland is predicted to be fashioned by so-called ”democratic opposition” — encompassing Tusk’s Civic Coalition, the liberal Third Method get together and the New Left get together.