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Report to expose flaws in contested Polish probe into 2010 air crash: official

22.08.2024 23:00
An upcoming report is expected to reveal significant irregularities and instances of misconduct by a now-defunct state commission that was reinvestigating the 2010 Polish presidential air crash in western Russia, an official has said.
Cezary Tomczyk
Cezary TomczykPhoto: Przemysław Chmielewski/Polish Radio

Cezary Tomczyk, a deputy defense minister in Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government, has asserted that the report is "staggering" and includes evidence of misappropriation of public funds, withholding of information, and destruction of state property linked to the commission’s activities.

Scheduled for release in early September, the report "of several hundred pages" details a series of alleged misdeeds by the commission, which operated from 2016 to 2023 under the leadership of Antoni Macierewicz, a former defense minister, Tomczyk said.

The 2010 disaster near the western Russian city of Smolensk claimed the lives of then-President Lech Kaczyński and 95 others who were on their way from Warsaw to attend an event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre, in which Soviet secret police executed some 22,000 Polish soldiers and other prisoners during the early months of World War II.

Tomczyk, speaking on private Radio TOK FM, confirmed that the report is in its final stages, pending further analysis by the Military Counterintelligence Service.

The report challenges previous findings by the controversial commission and highlights potential negligence by other senior defense officials, including Mariusz Błaszczak, Macierewicz's successor as defense minister, Tomczyk told TOK FM. He criticized Błaszczak for his "lack of action" despite being "regularly informed" of the commission's irregularities.

"Remember, Antoni Macierewicz did not act alone, nor did he act in a vacuum," Tomczyk said, adding that the findings are "so substantial" that they will prompt official notifications of possible criminal activity to prosecutors, not just against Macierewicz but also involving other unidentified individuals.

Antoni Macierewicz Antoni Macierewicz. Photo: Przemysław Chmielewski/PR

The creation and conduct of the "Smolensk commission" had been an ongoing point of contention, with the opposition at the time frequently criticizing its operations.

The commission was disbanded shortly after Tusk's government came to power in December last year. The team to assess the panel's operations was established in January. It includes 19 experts led by pilot and air force auditor Col. Leszek Błach.

(rt/gs)

Source: PAP