Former prime minister Jan Olszewski is in hospital after suffering a stroke on Friday.

News of the 81-year-old's ill fortune emerged today, and it has been confirmed by his wife, Marta Olszewska, who said that he was taken to hospital “in very bad condition.”

“He lost consciousness at home,” Mrs Olszewska revealed, adding that currently “his ability to communicate is limited; he cannot speak and he cannot get up.”

Marta Olszewska said that her husband's condition is beginning to stabilise, and that she is hoping for the best.

Former lawyer Jan Olszewski was a prominent dissident during the communist era, taking on controversial cases in defence of like-minded activists.

A veteran of Solidarity, he served as prime minister for five months in 1991-1992, but ran into difficulties over how to deal with former communist collaborators in the so-called 'lustration' process. (nh)