Tusk will not attend this week’s hearing on Smoleńsk - prosecution

Former PM, and current European Council President Donald Tusk, said that he will not be able to attend his hearing in the prosecution office scheduled for this Wednesday due to “his duties as the EC head,” the prosecution informed. Tusk has been summoned for questioning as a witness by prosecutors investigating the circumstances of the autopsies of the victims of the Smoleńsk plane crash. “The National Prosecutor's Office will set a new date for the hearing, which will not conflict with his duties,” the prosecution said, adding, that the summon for this week’s hearing was sent two months ago, and till Friday, Tusk or his representatives did not say that he will not be able to attend the hearing. The prosecution investigates whether Polish authorities did neglect the process and secured proper burials for the victims of the Smoleńsk plane crash which killed President Lech Kaczyński and 95 other people, including many top Polish officials. The exhumation of the several bodies showed that some of the victims have been placed in wrong coffins, there were also instances where parts of several different bodies were placed in one coffin. The prosecution added, that since Tusk is a witness in this case, his not protected by his immunity.