Court orders 88-day pretrial detention for Civic Coalition MP Wojciech Król on corruption charges

Court orders detention after prosecutors' appeal

On 5 November 2026 the Katowice Regional Court ruled on an appeal filed by the European Public Prosecutor's Office and ordered Wojciech Król, a Civic Coalition (KO) member of parliament, held in pretrial detention for 88 days. The ruling reversed a decision by the Katowice-East District Court, which had declined to apply the most severe preventive measure. The hearing was the third scheduled date in the case and ended with the announcement of the decision, which the parties then relayed to journalists. Police detained Król in the courtroom, and he is to be taken to a detention facility. Król agreed to have his full name published.

Four charges and the September detention

Król was detained on 17 September 2026, shortly after the Sejm agreed to his detention and arrest. He has been charged with four offences in total. The Sejm first lifted his immunity in summer 2026, when two charges were presented and prosecutors applied non-custodial preventive measures. The other two charges were presented after his detention; once he had been questioned, prosecutors asked the court for his arrest. The investigation concerns suspected fraud and corruption in procurement for tram infrastructure modernization in the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis. Prosecutors allege he accepted financial benefits from entrepreneurs who counted on his connections and help with business affairs.

Alleged benefits and Król's denial

According to prosecutors, the alleged benefits included a trip to Thailand and the provision of a car for a trip abroad. Król says he has never been to Thailand and that he borrowed the car from a friend for a journey in which several people took part. Puls Biznesu reports that the two businesspeople described in a late-July communiqué from the European Public Prosecutor's Office are entrepreneurs from the Silesian region, and that both deny wrongdoing. Press.pl identifies Król as chairman of the National Media Council.

Why the lower court refused custody

The Katowice-East District Court declined to order custody on the grounds that temporary arrest is not applied when another preventive measure is sufficient. The European Public Prosecutor's Office filed a complaint against that decision. On 5 November the regional court accepted the prosecutor's argument and set the 88-day term. The case has now moved from the question of whether Król should be detained to the period of custody set by the court.