The new minister of administration and interior Władysław Stasiak told Polish Radio 1 this morning that his appointment came as a surprise to him. He refused to comment on the reasons for the dismissal of his predecessor Janusz Kaczmarek or how the information on the Central Anticorruption Bureau’s intervention in the agriculture ministry leaked out. Prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński said on Wednesday that Kaczmarek was suspected of his involvement in the information leak connected with the anti-corruption investigation which led to the dismissal of the then vice-premier Andrzej Lepper, which obstructed officers’ intervention in the land-for-money case.
Ex minister Kaczmarek has denied the accusation.
The new head of administration and interior ministry said he would not be directly involved in the case. "I cannot put myself in such position”, he told the Polish Radio and added that a competent investigative body had been appointed to look into the affair.
He said he would focus on the daily operations of his ministry and his first goal would be to bring the “Safe Together” program back to life. He also intends to modernise the police force, have the crisis management act passed through the Parliament and change the competences and character of the border guards.
The changes are to include pay rises, in particular for executive officers. Minister Stasiak also wants to see a new security assessment model in Poland.