Beata Szydło fined 3,000 zł for missing witness summons in ‘Sprawiedliwe Sądy’ probe

Former Polish prime minister Beata Szydło was ordered to pay a 3,000 zł fine by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Rzeszów for repeatedly failing to appear as a witness in a criminal investigation into the financing of the “Sprawiedliwe Sądy” (Fair Courts) media campaign. The fine is the maximum allowed under Article 285 of the Polish Code of Criminal Procedure and the decision is not yet final; Szydło may appeal.

The same investigation targets former members of the board of the Polish National Foundation (Polska Fundacja Narodowa) – former chairman Maciej Świrski and former president Cezary Jurkiewicz. Prosecutors have secured asset seizures on their property, freezing bank accounts up to 200 k zł, imposing forced mortgages of 1 million zł (Świrski) and 2 million zł (Jurkiewicz), and garnishing wages from Świrski’s KRRiT salary. The probe alleges that state‑owned enterprises funded the “Sprawiedliwe Sądy” campaign, potentially causing at least 8.4 million zł damage to the foundation.

Prosecutor Jaromir Rybczak noted that Szydło’s scheduled testimony conflicted with European Parliament sessions, which contributed to the missed summons. Szydło said she does not expect arrest and will contest the fine.