Region: Infighting mars Poland air-crash probe

The bizarre case of a Polish military prosecutor who tried to commit suicide during a press conference has exposed the scale of corruption and political dissonance in the country's investigation of the 2010 Smolensk airplane crash that killed 96 people - including Poland's then-president, Lech Kaczyński.

Colonel Mikolaj Przybyl, a military prosecutor participating in a criminal investigation of the accident, was found in a pool of blood Jan. 10 after shooting himself in the head during a break in a meeting with journalists.

"My act was influenced by the cases I am investigating," Przybyl told Poland's PAP news agency as he recovered, two days after the shooting. "One of them is the most serious, involving financial issues in the Polish military."

Journalists who witnessed the scene say Przybyl asked for a short break after delivering a statement. Several cameras were still rolling when the journalists left the office, capturing how Przybyl walked out of the frame, loaded and fired his weapon. The bullet pierced his cheek but did not cause severe trauma.

Przybyl has confirmed media speculations that his suicide attempt had professional motives. Minutes before he pulled the trigger, Przybyl, described as an honest and loyal employee, had defended his group of military investigators from criticism related to the Smolensk investigation.

"I was defending the people whom I know and who do excellent work. I wanted the prosecutor's office to survive," he said.

While both Poland and Russia have completed inquiries into the circumstances of the 2010 crash, claiming it was caused by pilots who received orders to land the government aircraft despite poor weather conditions, criminal investigations are still ongoing.

In Poland, the investigation has been marred by political manipulation and media leaks, leading to squabbles between civilian and military prosecutors.

Utilizing the leaks

Marek Pasionek, a prosecutor with access to the military investigation, leaked confidential communications between Russian and Polish investigators to the media.

Pasionek is a political ally of Jarosław Kaczyński, brother of the president who died in the crash. Polish media have speculated Pasionek may have used the leaks to support the anti-Russian conspiracy theories on which Jarosław Kaczyński built his unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2011.  

"The fact that this information got into the hands of the media made our cooperation difficult and led to delays in this very important investigation," Przybyl told journalists moments before trying to end his life.

In June 2011, daily Gazeta Wyborcza published details of Pasionek's meeting with U.S. intelligence agents, during which he allegedly discussed sensitive details of the investigation. In response, Chief Military Prosecutor General Krzyzstov Parulski suspended Pasionek and placed him under investigation.

Parulski also requested access to the text-message records of journalists who received the leaked information. Subsequently, the investigation against Pasionek was halted and news emerged of an alleged plan to place the investigation under the wing of the civilian Chief Prosecutor's Office, stripping the military investigation of its autonomy.

Przybyl, a subordinate of Parulski, criticized these developments at the Jan. 10 press conference.

"I view the actions of [Pasionek] as unprofessional and in breach of existing regulations," he said.

Parulski backed up Przybyl's claims, adding Przybyl had been receiving threats and that his home had been broken into by parties interested in delaying his investigations of army finances.

"I know there was a 1 million złoty [5.8 million Kč] price on my head," Przybyl later told journalists.

The Smolensk investigation threatens to chill Poland's historically strained relations with Russia. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has made an effort to improve relations with Moscow since his election in 2007, but efforts have been marred by the fallout of the Smolensk crash.

President Bronisław Komorowski has asked the national security bureau to look into Przybyl's suicide attempt, AFP reported.

Markéta Hulpachová can be reached at
features@praguepost.com