He described the lack of counterintelligence control and protection in the judiciary as a “loophole in the system.”
Tomasz Szmydt, a judge at the Warsaw Regional Administrative Court, asked the Belarusian authorities on Monday for “care and protection.” The National Prosecutor's Office is conducting an investigation “in the direction” of espionage.
“An absolutely unprecedented event, potentially with powerful consequences. I think the public will only become aware of the possible consequences of the action on the part of the judge as the days, weeks go by,” Siewiera said.
“This is treason; it has the character of treason; treason not only understood as in the Criminal Code, because that is a separate topic, while acting to the detriment of the state's interest is evident here,” the BBN chief told Polish Radio 3 on Tuesday.
Asked what information Szmydt might have had, he said: “As a rule, the judge does not get direct access to classified information because it is not the subject of his proceedings, while the judge settles disputes between the body conducting the inspection proceedings, in this case, for example, the ABW [Internal Security Agency], and the person who applies for a certificate of access to classified information. What is placed in such proceedings by the applicant is very important,” Siewiera explained.
This could be information on personal contacts, mainly abroad, but also information on extramarital relationships, possible compromising materials, and medical histories.
Asked whether judges should be checked, he replied, “They should. This is a loophole in the system that many commentators point out. It is necessary to restore control and counter-intelligence protection in the judicial area as well.”
PM: case cannot be ignored
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in Katowice on Tuesday that the situation surrounding the “escape” of Judge Tomasz Szmydt is unprecedented and cannot be ignored.
“We must be aware that the Belarusian services worked with a person who had access to the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to classified documents,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister, head of the Ministry of Defense
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that all services should be involved in investigating the case.
“It should be checked whether, while still in Poland, Szmydt did not carry out activities of an agential nature,” he asserted.
Interview with Solovyov
Szmydt was also due to give an interview to the Kremlin's chief media propagandist,
Vladimir Solovyov, on Tuesday morning. He posted the invitation to an interview on his Russian-language Telegram account.
The live interview on Solovyov's Telegram channel began before 9 a.m. Polish time on Tuesday. However, it was quickly interrupted due to technical problems.
Solovyov is one of the Kremlin's best-known propagandists. The journalist has repeatedly threatened Poland with Russian attacks. Last March, he said that Polish cities would be destroyed by missiles.
Even earlier, he stressed on state television the need to “restore Russian cities.” His list included Warsaw, as well as localities belonging to Ukraine and Estonia.
