Former Polish interior minister Mariusz Kaminski and his deputy Maciej Wonsik have been arrested and are facing prison over accusations of abuse of power. The detention of the two Law and Justice party (PiS) MPs has sparked outrage among the Polish opposition, which has described them as βpolitical prisoners.β
The two politicians were arrested by police on Tuesday while they were staying at the presidential palace of Polish President Andrzej Duda. The two MPs were waiting to meet with Duda, who had not yet returned to the palace when police entered the building.
The arrest stems from a case that was brought against Kaminski and Wonsik back in 2015, when a court sentenced them to three-and-a-half years in prison for abuse of power. However, before the courtβs verdict took legal effect, President Duda pardoned them and the sentence was annulled.Β
