Police enter Polish Presidential Palace and arrest two former senior officials

Two senior politicians from the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party were arrested, former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski and former Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik. The arrests took place while both officials were present at the Polish Presidential Palace.

Police raided the presidential palace and arrested two senior officials photo 1 — Protesters gather to demand the release of former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski in Warsaw, Poland, January 9, 2024. Photo: Reuters

"This situation is unbelievable. Convicts, who were about to be transferred to solitary confinement, chose a more comfortable place of confinement, the Presidential Palace," said new Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

After winning elections in October, Mr Tusk, a former top European Union official, vowed to undo the policies of his predecessors.

New Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said "everyone is equal before the law".

Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Presidential Palace at the request of the Law and Justice Party (PiS), of which Kaminski and Wasik are members, and in front of the police station where both are being held.

In 2015, weeks after PiS came to power, President Andrzej Duda pardoned Kaminski after he was convicted of abuse of power during his time as head of Poland's Central Anti-Corruption Bureau. He later became Poland's interior minister.

Mai Anh (according to Reuters)

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