Former Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki was charged on Thursday with abuse of power and failure to perform his duties in connection with the organization of postal elections in 2020.
On Thursday, Morawiecki arrived at the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw, where the charges were announced to him.
In the spring of 2020, as Prime Minister, Morawiecki ordered the preparation for conducting presidential elections entirely by postal voting due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ultimately, Poland’s National Election Commission announced that the elections, scheduled for May 10, 2020, could not take place.
The decision by the former prime minister is said to have led to losses amounting to 70 million zlotys. Morawiecki himself claims he is innocent and that he acted in Poland’s best interest.
According to Piotr Skiba, a spokesperson for the Warsaw Voivodeship Prosecutor’s Office, Morawiecki was informed of the charges of abuse of power and failure to perform his duties during the organization of the 2020 elections.
“The suspect was present with two lawyers… He did not plead guilty to the alleged offense. He requested to review the evidence in the case and expressed his willingness to respond to the charges after receiving the justification for them and reviewing the case materials,” Skiba told reporters.
Upon leaving the prosecutor’s office, Morawiecki said he would give testimony once he had reviewed the case materials.
