2024-08-21 11:28, akt.2024-08-21 14:03
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2024-08-21 11:28
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2024-08-21 14:03
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Bartłomiej Ciążyński (Left) resigned from the position of deputy minister of justice on Wednesday after information that during a private vacation he used a company car and filled it up with a company card. Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that he accepted Ciążyński’s resignation.
photo: Krzysztof Zatycki / / FORUM
“Minister of Justice Adam Bodnar is of the opinion that compliance with standards applies to all officials, regardless of their position,” it was emphasized in the statement announcing Ciążyński’s resignation, published on the Ministry of Justice website on Wednesday.
Ciążyński announced his resignation on Wednesday morning at a joint press conference with the leader of the Left, Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty.
Earlier, the wp.pl portal reported that Ciążyński went on a private vacation to Slovenia in a company limousine and “filled up the vehicle twice, paying with a company card.” It added that the car and card belong to the Polish Center for Technology Development (PORT), which is part of the nationwide Łukasiewicz Research Network, where Ciążyński worked before taking up a position at the Ministry of Justice.
“I had no idea that I couldn’t do that,” Ciążyński said. He added that he “returned the money he spent on refueling” to his account and apologized “for the situation that occurred.”
Ciążyński emphasized that he had “ambitious plans” in the Ministry of Justice. However, he added, “this mistake requires responsibility and consequences.” “In connection with this, today I resigned from my position as undersecretary of state in the Ministry of Justice,” he declared.
Czarzasty emphasized that he stands by Ciążyński because, in his opinion, leaders should support the people they work with in every situation. “There are standards that apply to everyone. We did not say during the elections to the Polish parliament that we would fulfill and observe these standards so that we would not do it,” he stated. He added that he expects a similar attitude from all members of the ruling coalition.
The Deputy Speaker of the Sejm, when asked by journalists about Ciążyński’s replacement in the position of Deputy Minister of Justice, replied that he had talked about it with the head of the ministry, Adam Bodnar. “These are matters that we will deal with when the time comes,” he emphasized.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on the X portal that the resignation had been accepted. He had previously written that “mistakes happen, but one has to pay for them”. He emphasized that “this applies in particular to people in power”.
Bartłomiej Ciążyński is a former deputy mayor of Wrocław, a city councilor until 2023, and the head of the local Left club. According to the information he posts about himself on social media, he is also a legal adviser who ran his own law firm for 12 years. Ciążyński became undersecretary of state in the Ministry of Justice on July 5.
As the Ministry of Justice recalled on Wednesday, in this ministry, Ciążyński supervised the Department of European Law, the Department of Computerization and Court Registers, the National Criminal Register and the Institute of Justice.
“Until a new person is appointed to the position of deputy minister of justice, the Department of European Law and the Institute of Justice will be personally supervised by the Minister of Justice, Adam Bodnar, and the Department of Computerization and Court Registers and the National Criminal Register will be supervised by the director general of the Ministry of Justice, Wojciech Kutyła,” the Ministry of Justice informed in a press release. (PAP)
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