the head of state says he is “upset” by the arrest of a former minister in the presidential palace

A Polish court on appeal sentenced a former Interior Minister to two years in prison for exceeding his duties in a case dating back to 2007.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said he “deeply upset”, Wednesday January 10, by the arrest the day before of former Minister of the Interior Mariusz Kaminski in the presidential palace. However, he calls on his compatriots to calm down. “I firmly believe that (…) we are capable of restoring honesty and justice in the Polish state.”he said.

The arrests of the ex-minister and his close collaborator Maciej Wasik, two figures from the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party, took place late Tuesday. In December, a Polish court sentenced the two men to two years in prison on appeal for exceeding their duties in a case dating back to 2007.

Law and Justice party calls for demonstration

Andrzej Duda, himself a member of PiS, said on Wednesday he was convinced of their innocence and the illegal nature of the arrest. He stressed that he would act “legally” in favor of the release of the two men.

Elected deputies during the October elections, the two men saw their parliamentary mandates canceled, which they refuse to recognize. Mariusz Kaminski, who believes he is “a political prisoner”announced a hunger strike.

The country, led for almost a month by the pro-European coalition, which ousted nationalist populists from power, is facing a political crisis. Both camps accuse each other of violations of the rule of law. PiS leaders have called their supporters for a demonstration against the new administration’s decisions planned for Thursday in front of parliament in Warsaw.