Justice minister Krzysztof Kwiatkowski will publish a preliminary report today on the death in a prison hospital of Arthur Zirajewski, a key witnesses in the 1998 murder of General Mark Papała.

The initial opinion was that Zirajewski  - serving a prison sentence in Gdansk - died of a pulmonary artery embolism. Prosecutor Zbigniew Niemczyk said that the death occurred after an illness and no other cause. A final opinion will be released in 30 days.

Artur Zirajewski was taken, unconscious,  to hospital after taking sleeping pills prescribed to him by a doctor. The Central Prison Service has said that he left a letter behind in his cell addressed to his wife,  “But it was not a suicide note,” said a prison service spokesman.

Doctors diagnosed Zirajewski with suffering from drug poisoning and pneumonia.

The psychological state of Zirajewski in the days leading up to his death has been much speculated on in the Polish media, particularly the revelation that he received a note via the prison grapevine which greatly upset him.

The death of the prisoner makes extraditing Polish-American businessman Edward Mazur  - who has been accused of being involved in the murder of General Marek Papala in 1998 - from the US to Poland all the more difficult as Zirajewski was the main witness in the statement the Ministry of Justice gave to the US courts. The US later dismissed the extradition attempt, however, describing it as “outrageous” that the main witness was a convicted felon.

Last year Zirajewsk offered, for a third time,  to give more information to prosecutors on Edward Mazur in return for a reduction in his sentence. Authorities had rejected the two previous attempts. (pg)