Opposition wants to put Macierewicz under scrutiny

Civic Platform (PO) MPs have asked the prosecution to launch an investigation whether the defense minister Antoni Macierewicz overstepped his authority. Opposition accuses the minister of giving the access to classified documents regarding the canceled PLN 13 billion helicopters tender to unauthorized personnel. MPs, who were provided the access to the ministry documents, allege that former head of the Smoleńsk commission, Wacław Barczyński, his successor Kazimierz Nowaczyk, and the ministry's now-former spokesman Bartłomiej Misiewicz accessed the paperwork, without proper clearance from the intelligence services. Opposition MPs asked for access to the registry of who, and when had access to the documents, after Berczyński claimed in an interview with Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, that he “killed” the Caracal deal. A few weeks later, Berczyński resigned from his post as the head of the Smoleńsk commission claiming that due to “personal reasons” he will be unable to travel to Poland from the US, where he lives, thus making it impossible for him to continue his job. He was replaced by Nowaczyk. After Berczyński's interview, the ministry of defense denied that he had any access to the case. Now, Macierewicz claims that he had the right to show the documents to Nowaczyk, Misiewicz and Berczyński and said it would request that the PO MPs be prosecuted for making false claims. The previous PO government ordered 50 Caracal machines for PLN 13.5 billion, but the new Law and Justice (PiS) cabinet canceled it and within few days announced its decision to buy at least 21 Black Hawk helicopters from Lockheed Martin. A new tender was announced, but the results of it have not been announced yet.