Polish President Andrzej Duda has pardoned two former government officials and asked for their immediate release from prison, in keeping with the major opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party’s demands after losing power last month.
Mariusz Kaminski, former interior minister, and his deputy, Maciej Wasik, were sentenced to prison last month for abuse of power in previous positions.
Both men embarked on hunger strikes, claiming to be “political prisoners,” and their arrest sparked enormous protests from tens of thousands of PiS supporters.
Duda, a PiS ally, had pardoned both politicians after they were first sentenced in 2015 but Poland’s Supreme Court deemed his move invalid, saying a presidential pardon could not be granted before a final ruling in the case was issued.
Meanwhile, the two men served for the nationalist PiS government, but the Supreme Court ruled last year that the case should be revisited. They were sentenced to two years in prison in December, after Poland’s new centrist alliance assumed office.
Within days of their incarceration, Duda stated that he was beginning the process of pardoning them for the second time.
Meanwhile, the two individuals worked in the nationalist PiS government, but the Supreme Court ruled last year that the case should be revisited. They were sentenced to two years in prison in December, when a new centrist alliance assumed office in Poland.
Within days of their imprisonment, Duda declared that he was beginning the process of pardoning them for the second time.
