Over 60 MPs from the conservative Law and Justice party notified the new parliamentary speaker, Grzegorz Schetyna, of the calling up of a parliamentary committee which will look into the Smolensk tragedy.

“The notification […] was submitted to the parliamentary speaker,” Law and Justice politician Antoni Macierewicz told the press, adding that “over 60 MPs signed for the drawing up of the committee.”

According to Macierewicz, who used to be deputy defence minister in Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s coalition government, said that the new group “aims to clarify the [Smolensk] catastrophe” by collecting documents, contacting relevant institutions and calling up “public hearings with individuals who have information about the matter.”

Macierewicz said that the committee may ask prosecutors for materials concerning the Smolensk crash on April 10, when a Tu-154 carrying the presidential couple and 94 others crashed on landing in the western Russian city. Prosecutors are not obliged to provide any information, however.

The move comes after Jaroslaw Kaczynski told his supporters after the second round of voting on July 4, that a movement had arisen following the death of his twin brother and others onboard Flight 101, saying that “their martyr’s death has created an association” which helped the Law and Justice presidential candidate gain almost 50 percent of the ballot.

Parliamentary regulations allow for the creation of such committees. In order to do so, the committee’s founders must inform the speaker of the Sejm lower parliamentary house of the committee’s personnel as well its rules and regulations. (jb)

Source: PAP

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