Court Denies Arrest for Częstochowa Mayor Krzysztof M.

The Katowice-East District Court did not grant the National Prosecutor's Office's request for a preventive measure in the form of temporary arrest against Krzysztof M., the mayor of Częstochowa. The decision was made late on Thursday evening after a lengthy hearing examining the validity of the investigators' request. The prosecution demanded a three-month isolation of the local official, citing fears of evidence tampering and the threat of a high penalty, up to eight years of imprisonment. Krzysztof M. left the courthouse around 8:30 PM accompanied by his defense attorney, expressing joy at returning home but refusing to comment substantively on the charges against him. The institution of temporary arrest in Poland is a preventive measure used to secure the proper course of criminal proceedings, and its imposition falls within the exclusive competence of the courts. The charges presented to the mayor of Częstochowa are of a corrupt nature and cover a multi-year period of his tenure. The first concerns the years 2018–2022 and the acceptance of at least 40,000 PLN in exchange for favorable changes in the city budget, which were to facilitate the execution of a public procurement order for a specific entrepreneur. The second charge is broader and covers the period from September 2020 to October 2025, concerning the systematic acceptance of benefits from many individuals totaling 129,000 PLN. The detention of the local official was part of a broader investigation in which eighteen people already have suspect status, including former deputy mayor Bartłomiej S. „Nasze stanowisko jest takie, że po zapoznaniu się z pisemnym uzasadnieniem zostanie podjęta decyzja co do zażalenia” (Our position is that after reviewing the written justification, a decision will be made regarding an appeal) — Katarzyna Calów-Jaszewska The detention of Krzysztof M. triggered an immediate political reaction at the national level. The chairman of the New Left, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, decided to suspend the mayor's party membership rights until the matter is fully clarified. Although the city hall assures continuity of the office's work, the case casts a shadow over the long-term governance of the local official, who has held this position continuously since 2010. Concurrently with the mayor's case, the services reported detentions in the so-called waste mafia thread, showing an intensification of anti-corruption actions in the Silesian region.