Polish Prosecutors Charge Former Deputy Justice Minister Michał Woś Over Prison Oversight

Formal allegations and scope of oversight

The National Prosecutor's Office presented formal charges to Law and Justice member of parliament and former deputy justice minister Michał Woś on Tuesday, 15 September 2026. Prosecutors charged Woś under Article 231, paragraph 2 in conjunction with Article 12 of the Penal Code for exceeding his official authority and failing to fulfill public duties to gain financial and personal benefits, acting to the detriment of public interest. The alleged offenses took place between 2 February 2021 and 7 November 2023, during which Woś served as Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice. In that ministerial capacity, he served as the permanent substitute for the minister regarding the Prison Service and the Internal Inspectorate of the Prison Service. The evidence assembled by investigators centers on administrative decisions, official rulings, and internal normative acts that Woś signed while directing the correctional system.

Investigation background and procedural history

The criminal proceedings were initially managed by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Poznań before moving to the national level. Following a motion submitted by prosecutors to the Sejm Marshal to lift his parliamentary immunity, Woś filed a formal declaration on 17 April 2026 consenting to criminal prosecution, which the Sejm Rules, Deputies' Affairs and Immunities Committee verified as valid. On 8 September 2026, the Prosecutor General established a dedicated investigative team to handle the ongoing proceedings, in which six individuals hold suspect status. Following the formal presentation of the charges on Tuesday, prosecutors questioned Woś in the procedural capacity of a suspect. Woś pleaded not guilty to all charges and consented to the unrestricted publication of his full name and image.

Ministry of Justice reaction

Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek issued a statement on the case via social media platform X, stating that the correctional administration was treated instrumentally during the tenure of former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro. Żurek maintained that public institutions must remain protected from political misuse and commended the prosecution service for its procedural progress. He emphasized that judicial authorities intend to examine the full scope of previous administrative actions across the prison service.

We are talking about a former deputy minister of justice. Such matters must be clarified to the very bottom, so that it never occurs to anyone again to use the Prison Service, or any other Polish service, for private or party purposes. I thank the prosecutors for their work.

Defense arguments and counter-complaint

Woś rejected the accusations in a public statement on X, describing the case against him as fabricated out of thin air. He stated that the charge specifically concerns an administrative decision to promote a lieutenant colonel to colonel in the Prison Service who created a specialized anti-narcotics unit in Polish prisons. Woś argued that Article 169 of the Prison Service Act explicitly permits rank promotions granted as awards, asserting that the current leadership of the Ministry of Justice and the Prison Service has used that exact legal provision at least 336 times. Woś also announced that he filed a formal criminal notification against the lead investigating prosecutor, citing promotions that moved the prosecutor from a district office to a regional delegation and then to the National Prosecutor's Office on 8 September 2026. Additionally, Woś criticized prosecutors for failing to prioritize other matters, pointing to unresolved investigations involving Kacprzyk, Giertych, Nowak, Polnord, and the extradition of Kral.