"Bitter Satisfaction." Court Decision in Sławomir Nowak's Case

"I feel no triumphalism, only bitter satisfaction," wrote Sławomir Nowak after the Warsaw-Mokotów District Court's decision on Friday to dismiss the so-called Polish aspect of the corruption scandal. The court found that the case lacked factual grounds for prosecution. The main trial, concerning corruption charges in Ukraine, is still ongoing.

On Friday, the District Court for Warsaw-Mokotów decided to discontinue the proceedings in the so-called Polish aspect of the Sławomir Nowak corruption scandal .

As the former transport minister stated on social media, the decision was made during the first hearing. The court, citing the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, pointed to the " obvious lack of factual basis for the accusation ."

"I feel no triumphalism, but a bitter satisfaction that justice is slowly but surely coming. The justice system is rising from its knees," Nowak wrote. The politician emphasized, however, that "this is not the end of the war," adding: "It's just a shame about all those years and ruined lives..."

SEE: The Ukrainian prosecutor's office has filed an indictment against Sławomir Nowak

TVN's "Fakty" was the first to report the discontinuation. The portal reported that the prosecutor joined the defense's motion to discontinue the proceedings. It also noted that following the change in government, the prosecutor in charge of the case had changed.

Former Transport Minister Sławomir Nowak was charged with 17 criminal offenses in December 2021. In September 2023, the District Court in Warsaw held another organizational hearing on this extensive case.

As reported by the prosecutor's office at the time, Nowak, as head of the Ukrawtodor State Roads Service, allegedly demanded and accepted financial benefits and promises of such benefits in the amount of over PLN 6.1 million . In return, he was to support certain entities in the awarding and implementation of public procurement contracts related to road repairs in Ukraine.

The former minister was also accused of money laundering , amounting to nearly PLN 8 million . The accusation also covers the period when Nowak served as head of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's political cabinet and Minister of Transport and Maritime Economy.

SEE: Details of the indictment against Sławomir Nowak: he invested in paintings with bribe money

According to investigators, the politician allegedly accepted at least PLN 320,000 in bribes in exchange for assistance in securing lucrative positions and contracts at state-owned companies. He is also accused of accepting PLN 760,000 in bribes for organizing a meeting between representatives of a development company and Gdańsk city authorities .

These two sets of charges were separated into separate trials in 2023. At that time, defense attorney Joanna Broniszewska told journalists that the decision to exclude some of the threads from the main case created the possibility of starting a trial in which there was no doubt that her client "would be acquitted." Nowak's main trial is still ongoing in a court in Warsaw.