Former deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski charged and arrested

On Monday, the Warszawa-Mokotów District Court reviewed a motion from the National Prosecutor's Office to arrest Romanowski. His attorney, Bartosz Lewandowski, stated that the court had applied a three-month detention for the former deputy minister. He also announced an intention to appeal the court's decision.

Before the trial began, Romanowski's defense attorney informed the court that the politician would not be attending, citing his recent surgery. "He underwent a very serious operation. I have the proper documentation for this," Lewandowski said.

Asked by reporters whether the court could proceed with the case without Romanowski's presence, his defense attorney confirmed that, from a procedural standpoint, this was possible. However, he declined to answer whether Romanowski is in the hospital or if he plans to request another postponement of the case.

A decision on the potential arrest was expected to be made on November 28, but the hearing had been postponed due to Romanowski's absence, as he had submitted a medical certificate regarding his illness.

On Monday, before noon, Romanowski's defense attorney stated that he had not filed a request for a postponement of the trial date. He added that during the session, he had provided a medical certificate regarding the former deputy minister's health.

"Due to Mr. Marcin Romanowski's surgery, he was unable to attend today. He really had very serious complications, even life-threatening ones. However, we did not request a postponement or a change of the trial date because we did not want it to appear as though we were attempting to destabilize the process," Lewandowski said.

In response to the prosecutor's request, Lewandowski submitted a letter asking the court not to grant the request for temporary detention. He explained that the letter included not only arguments regarding Romanowski's health but also formal and substantive considerations. The defense attorney emphasized that he saw no reason for Romanowski to be placed in custody.

After 12:00, prosecutor Piotr Woźniak confirmed that he had filed a request for the court to grant the motion for temporary detention. He added that following the court session, a break had been ordered.

"After the break, the court will likely make a decision regarding the prosecution's request for temporary detention," Woźniak stated.

The prosecutor emphasized that criminal procedure allows for the possibility of detention while considering the accused's health. "Article 260 of the Criminal Procedure Code allows for the detention of a temporarily arrested person in an appropriate medical facility," he declared.

The National Prosecutor's Office accuses Romanowski of committing 11 crimes, including participation in an organized criminal group and manipulating competitions for funds from the Justice Fund. These crimes allegedly involved directing subordinate employees to select entities that should win the competitions for grants from the Justice Fund.

Romanowski is also accused of instructing the correction of incorrect offers before their submission and allowing grants to be awarded to entities that did not meet formal and material requirements. The charges also involve embezzling funds totaling over 107 million zlotys and attempting to embezzle over 58 million zlotys.

Since February, the National Prosecutor's Office has been conducting a comprehensive investigation into the Justice Fund. They argue that Romanowski's detention is necessary due to the legitimate fear of him obstructing the investigation, including coordinating with others to alter the content of statements and testimonies, as well as destroying or concealing evidence.

According to prosecutor Piotr Woźniak, Romanowski coordinated with other co-accused individuals, including Urszula D., Karolina K., and Tomasz M., to destroy evidence that could potentially reach law enforcement and judicial authorities. Additionally, he allegedly collaborated with others to establish false statements for the investigation.

Other reasons for applying temporary detention are the severe sentence Romanowski faces - up to 25 years in prison - and the high likelihood of the alleged crimes having been committed.