Mariusz Kamiński made the statement via social media on Monday, Poland's PAP news agency reported.
The interior minister wrote on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter: “Neither the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) nor any other agency under my supervision conducted surveillance of the opposition.”
Kamiński added that “in response to these insinuations, the CBA is notifying the prosecution service that a crime has been committed under Art. 212 of the Criminal Code.”
Under Poland’s Criminal Code, “making false statements about another individual, a group, an institution, a legal entity, or an organizational unit," which could undermine the essential trust in them, is punishable by a fine or a prison term of up to a year, the PAP news agency reported.
The interior minister’s statement came in response to allegations made by the CBA’s ex-chief Paweł Wojtunik on Saturday.
In an interview with private broadcaster TVN24, Wojtunik said he had received information "from multiple sources" indicating that the government had instructed the CBA to “set up large-scale surveillance of members of opposition groups.”
According to Wojtunik, just before the parliamentary elections on October 15, the CBA received instructions to conduct wiretaps on opposition parties for five-day intervals, a procedure that does not require a court order, but a decision by the prosecutor-general, the PAP news agency reported.
In Saturday’s interview, Wojtunik asked Kamiński if he had sanctioned such decisions, whether the alleged surveillance had primarily focused on the center-right opposition Third Way alliance, and whether any recordings had been "shared with other politicians for use in negotiations and political operations."
Wojtunik told TVN24 that if the answer to any of these questions was affirmative, it would indicate "a potential threat of a conspiracy or coup by members of the executive branch who might be employing security services to target legally and democratically elected representatives of the legislative branch."
Wojtunik called on the authorities to "provide an explanation regarding this matter,” the PAP news agency reported.
The latest tensions between the ruling camp and the opposition come as Poland awaits the formation of a new government after this month's general election.
Poland's ruling conservatives won the country's October 15 election, but lost a parliamentary majority, increasing the likelihood of an opposition government.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP
