Presidential candidate snatched from press conference and sent to prison

Presidential candidate and leader of the Samoobrona farmer's union Andrzej Lepper was taken into police custody yesterday after being on the run through Wednesday. Police in Gorzow searched for Lepper at his campaign headquarters on Wednesday, but to no avail. Lepper said he was on the premises but did not see any police officers. Yesterday, he was snatched while giving a press conference. A judge in Slubice sent an arrest warrant against Lepper and other activists that include Arkadiusz Furminski of Solidarnosc for failing to appear in court to answer charges of blockading a customs checkpoint in January 1999. It is not clear how the latest arrest will affect Lepper's presidential aspirations. (Rzeczpospolita, page A1, A3, Reuters)