Mariusz Kamiński (born 25 September 1965) is a Polish politician who served as the head of the

Central Anticorruption Bureau The Central Anticorruption Bureau (CBA, ) is a division of the Polish government, reporting to the Prime Minister of Poland, responsible for addressing corruption in Poland. Located in Warsaw, the CBA has been functional since 24 July 2006, havi ...

(CBA) from August 2006 to October 2009. He served between 2019 and 2023 as the Minister of the Interior and Administration, in addition to coordinating Polish secret services, which he had done previously as a minister without portfolio. Kamiński also served as a member of the

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

(1997–2006, 2011–2023).

Career

In 1981, he was sentenced to one year's probation for desecrating the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

Gratitude Monument by participating in painting inscriptions on it. On 1 May 1983, during an unauthorized demonstration, he was detained for making "hostile" shouts, resulting in charges under the 1969 Criminal Code for using violence or threats against a public official and insulting a public body or political organization. He was released on 3 May 1983 and faced ongoing legal obligations and school expulsion, yet an amnesty in July 1983 halted these proceedings. He completed his secondary education at Bolesław Chrobry XX High School in Warsaw and later studied at the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

's History Institute, where he was active in underground student organizations and co-founded the

Federation of Fighting Youth The Federation of Fighting Youth (, also called FMW) was a radical anticommunist organization of Polish youth, existing in the mid and late 1980s. It was founded in June 1984 in Warsaw's district of Grochów by a group of high school students. I ...

periodicals. He was also engaged in the

Independent Students' Association Independent Students' Association (, NZS) is a Polish student society, created in October 1980, in the aftermath of the Gdańsk Agreement and the anti-government strike actions (see: History of Solidarity). It was a student arm, or suborganization ...

. His political career included roles in various governmental and non-governmental organizations. In the 1997 parliamentary elections, he was elected as an MP and subsequently re-elected in 2001 and 2005. He held significant positions within the

Law and Justice Law and Justice ( , PiS) is a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Poland, political party in Poland. The party is a member of European Conservatives and Refo ...

party and was instrumental in the establishment of the

in 2006, which he led until his brief departure from the party. Rejoining Law and Justice in 2011, he continued to hold influential party and governmental positions, including being re-elected to the parliament multiple times, the last being in 2023. His roles evolved to include significant responsibilities such as

Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration () is an administration structure controlling main administration and security branches of the Polish government. After the 2011 Polish parliamentary elections, it was transformed into two min ...

and coordinating special services. Kamiński's political career has also been marked by allegations of

abuse of power Abuse of power or abuse of authority, in the form of "malfeasance in office" or "official abuse of power", is the commission of an Crime, unlawful act, done in an official capacity, which affects the performance of official duties. Malfeasan ...

, particularly in relation to the preparations for the 2020 presidential elections, which led to an investigation by the Supreme Audit Office. His parliamentary mandate expired in December 2023 following a court verdict.

Controversies and legal proceedings

Charges and initial dismissal

On 6 October 2009 Mariusz Kamiński faced charges by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Rzeszów, accused of exceeding his powers and committing offences against the credibility of documents, including falsifications related to a "land scandal." Kamiński denied the allegations. Following these charges, he was dismissed from his position by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Donald Tusk Donald Franciszek Tusk (born 22 April 1957) is a Polish politician and historian who has served as the prime minister of Poland since 2023, previously holding the office from 2007 to 2014. Tusk served as the president of the European Council (20 ...

on 13 October 2009. In September 2010, following an indictment, Kamiński was also dismissed from service under Article 64 of the amended CBA Act.

Court rulings and presidential clemency

On 20 June 2012 the Warszawa-Śródmieście District Court dismissed the proceedings against Kamiński, ruling the accusations lacked merit, which was later overturned on 6 December 2012 by a regional court decision. In March 2015, Kamiński was found guilty and sentenced to three years' imprisonment, but before the appeal was heard, he received a presidential pardon from

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Andrzej Duda Andrzej Sebastian Duda (born 16 May 1972) is a Polish lawyer and politician who has served as the sixth president of Poland since 2015. Before becoming president, he served as a Member of the Sejm from 2011 to 2014 and before becoming Member of ...

on 16 November 2015, which led to the discontinuation of proceedings in March 2016.

Challenges to presidential clemency

The

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

declared the act of clemency ineffective on 31 May 2017. However, on 17 July 2018 the Constitutional Tribunal expanded the interpretation of the constitutional right of clemency. On 2 June 2023 the Constitutional Tribunal ruled that the right of clemency is a prerogative of the President and is beyond judicial review.

Legal developments after 2023 elections

In December 2023 his mandate expired due to him being sentenced to prison for an intentional crime. In January 2024, Mariusz Kamiński was arrested at Poland's Presidential Palace due to a two-year jail sentence handed down by a Warsaw court in December 2023. On 20 December 2023 he was sentenced to two years' imprisonment and banned from holding public office for five years, with the sentence beginning in January 2024. However, after serving only 13 days and undertaking a

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

, he was again pardoned by President Andrzej Duda on 23 January 2024. Subsequent investigations into Kamiński's actions while under a ban from public office led to further charges in April 2024, highlighting ongoing legal and political disputes surrounding his career.

Personal life

Son of Arkadiusz and Teresa. Kamiński was previously married to Anna Kasprzyszak, a Polish journalist and opposition activist who also served as an advisor to President Andrzej Duda. His son, Kacper, obtained legal education and was active in local government as a PiS councillor in

Otwock Otwock (Yiddish: אָטוואָצק) is a city in the Masovian Voivodeship in east-central Poland, some south-east of Warsaw, with 43,895 inhabitants (2024). Otwock is part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. It is situated on the right bank of the ...

. From 2018 to 2023, Kacper was employed at the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

, having been recommended for the position by the

National Bank of Poland The Narodowy Bank Polski (; the National Bank of Poland), often abbreviated to NBP, is the central bank of Poland, founded in 1945. It controls the issuing of Poland's currency, the Polish złoty. The bank is headquartered in Warsaw, and has bra ...

. Kamiński later married Barbara, who graduated in law from Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin and has been practicing as an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

in Warsaw since 2004. In 2021, Barbara was appointed as a judge in the Piaseczno District Court by the

National Council of the Judiciary The National Council of the Judiciary () is the national council of the judiciary of Poland. It is a public body in Poland responsible for nominating judges and reviewing ethical complaints against sitting jurists. Establishment and composition T ...

. He is also one of the few members of the conservative Law and Justice Party who is publicly an atheist. Despite this, in 2019, when he was sworn in as the Minister of Interior and Administration, he added the phrase "so help me God" to the words of his oath.

Awards

Commander's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

References

External links