Wrocław Regional Prosecutor's Office said on Friday that Tomasz Szmydt had been charged with ‘legal violations related to an organised crime group” which engaged in harmful actions against judges.

Prosecutor spokeswoman Anna Zimolag said: "The allegations against the suspect include, among other things, the improper handling of the victims' personal data through unauthorised disclosure and sharing with third parties."

She added that Szmydt's ex-spouse, Emilia Sz., was also under investigation for her involvement.

The scandal came to light in the summer of 2019 after reports by the Polish private media outlet Onet.pl uncovered close cooperation between the former Deputy Justice Minister, Lukasz Piebiak, and Szmydt's then-wife.

She had allegedly been involved in an online smear campaign targeting judges who opposed the judicial reforms introduced by the former ruling right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party.

Szmydt, who had secured a position in the State Judicial Council a year before the scandal broke and was dismissed after it was exposed, was reportedly fully aware of his wife's activities.

Szmydt's defection to Belarus occurred in early May when he announced his resignation as a judge and later lost his immunity.

Szmydt explained this move as a "protest against Poland's unjust and harmful policy" towards Belarus and Russia.

Months after fleeing Poland, the former judge was granted asylum in Belarus.