President Duda could have released Kamiński and Wąsik from prison
Polish President Andrzej Duda was reportedly asked by the wives of Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik to grant a pardon to their husbands. Instead of pardoning both politicians, however, the Polish president initiated a "pardon procedure," thereby transferring responsibility to Adam Bodnar, the Minister of Justice. Why did he do so, knowing that the government representative is tied up and cannot simply release both convicted by a court ruling from prison?
According to Professor Mikołaj Małecki, a legalist from the Jagiellonian University, the president's decision is an exclusively political move. In the X platform, he analyzes that Kamiński and Wąsik do not meet in his opinion the conditions for early release, the procedure will be time-consuming, and during this time PiS will be able to accuse Adam Bodnar of detaining political prisoners.
Małecki argues the pardon procedure is a risky move for Duda. If the procedure is ultimately unsuccessful, it could backfire on him and make him look weak or indecisive.
