Former Polish security officer charged in Beata Szydło 2017 crash case

Polish prosecutors announced that a former officer of the Office for Protection of the Government (BOR) has been formally charged with providing false testimony about the 2017 traffic accident in Oświęcim that injured former prime minister Beata Szydło. The charge brings the total number of suspects in the inquiry to ten – nine former BOR personnel and one civilian resident of Oświęcim – all of whom face possible prison terms of up to eight years.

The investigation, launched in 2025 by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Białystok, examines whether public officials exceeded their authority or neglected duties while handling the crash scene and evidence. The 2017 collision involved a government convoy and a Fiat Seicento; courts later found the Fiat driver responsible, but the case also scrutinises the conduct of BOR members, police and prosecutors at the time. Several of the accused former BOR officers are currently suspended from duties in the State Protection Service.

Authorities indicated that no preventive measures, such as detention, were deemed necessary during the confidential interrogation. The ongoing probe aims to determine the accuracy of official statements, the use of emergency signals, and potential procedural violations during the original investigation.