Wanted notice issued for Polish judge who fled to Minsk
A Polish prosecutor has issued a wanted notice for former judge Tomasz Szmydt, who had applied for political asylum in Belarus and is facing espionage charges in Poland, spokesperson for the National Prosecutor's Office said.
The notice should be published still today, Przemyslaw Nowak told PAP on Thursday.
On Wednesday, a Warsaw court agreed to the provisional arrest of Szmydt for a period of three months.
Artur Kaznowski of the National Prosecution Office (PK), who took part in the court sitting, told PAP that: "Szmydt will now be sought at the national level and, once the documentation is received by the prosecution, a wanted notice will be issued immediately and an application for a European arrest warrant (EAW) will be formulated and sent to the regional court."
Nowak, PK's spokesman, told reporters on Thursday that the prosecutor conducting the investigation regarding Szmydt is currently analysing the grounds for applying to the court for the issuance of an EAW.
"It is not so obvious whether conditions (for EAW - PAP) are met. If the court decides that these conditions are met and that there is a chance to issue a European Arrest Warrant, I think it is a matter of a few days," he said.
Nowak added that Szmydt faces espionage charges.
"First of all, he is accused of taking part in the activities of foreign intelligence to the detriment of the Republic of Poland. This is a very serious crime... punishable by up to life imprisonment," he said.
Nowak also said that the Polish authorities do not have the capacity to carry out their own activities in Belarus.
"We can only use international instruments ... which, depending on certain regulations and good will on the Belarusian side, may or may not be effective," he said, also mentioning the possibility of applying for extradition.
Nowak added that the prosecutor's office will seek to cooperate in Szmydt's case with Interpol and other institutions.
"We will also try to use other .... available databases that will allow us to determine or substantiate that Tomasz Szmydt crossed the border in a direction other than the European Union, because if towards the European Union, then we will obtain this information immediately," he said.
The case became public when the judge appeared at a propaganda press conference in Minsk, Belarus, on 6 May. The Belarusian state news agency Belta reported that he had asked the Belarusian authorities for "care and protection". The judge, meanwhile, said that he was relinquishing his previous position at the Provincial Administrative Court in Warsaw (WSA) "with immediate effect". He also posted a statement about this on social media.
Last Thursday, a disciplinary court at the Supreme Administrative Court (NSA) waived Szmydt's immunity. (PAP)
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