Court ruling opens the way for political return of former premier Oleksy

The court of first instance is to review again the case of former prime minister Jozef Oleksy, accused of working for the secret service during the 1970s. The case has been referred back by the court of second instance, which judged that the original ruling had failed to determine whether Oleksy had been in contact with the operational or the prosecuting units of the communist-era military secret service. The court of first instance must now decide whether Oleksy is guilty of lying about his involvement with the secret service, or it may drop the lawsuit, or clear Oleksy of all charges. In the meantime, the ruling by the court of second instance leaves the way clear for Oleksy to resume his political career. According to Leszek Miller, leader of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), Oleksy will be at the top of the SLD candidate list for the region of Siedlce. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 11) P.W.