A senator’s political career is potentially in ruins after a tabloid newspaper released video of him wearing a women’s dress and appearing to take cocaine with prostitutes.

Krzysztof Piesiewicz – senator for the ruling Civic Platform party and a screenwriter noted for his work with the late Krzysztof Kieslowski – says he was blackmailed by the prostitutes.

Piesiewicz – who will have immunity from prosecution removed, by his own request - could face up to eight years in prison on drug possession charges.

The videos, published by the tabloid Super Express show the 64 year-old Piesiewicz taking a white powder, which the blackmailers claim to be cocaine but he says was a medicine. The video later shows the politician lying unconscious on a couch in a flowery dress with one of the prostitutes applying make up to his face.  

The two women claim that they recorded the video to take revenge on the senator, who had promised to find a job for them but had failed to do so. The prostitutes threatened to go public with the video films unless Piesiewicz paid them half a million zloty.  

The politician said he met with the women on several different occasions over a year ago and paid them twice to keep the meetings secret. However, when the women demanded money for the third time, he refused and contacted police and the Prosecutor’s Office. 

Police say Piesiewicz had fallen victim to a criminal group which specializes in extorting money from celebrities. The blackmailers have been arrested and pleaded guilty of extortion.  

Krzysztof Piesiewicz is a member of Poland’s upper house, the Senate. In 1970s he worked as a lawyer, defending opponents of the communist  regime, serving as a legal advisor for Solidarity and assisting in the successful prosecution of the murderers of Father Jerzy Popieluszko in 1984.

Piesiewicz collaborated with director Krzysztof Kieslowski on several films, including The Double Life of Véronique (1991) and Three Colours - Blue, White, Red (1993/4) (mg/pg)

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