Tarnów police stop cycling MP without lights, smell alcohol, no breath test
Police in Tarnów stopped a cyclist riding without lights on Elektryczna Street at about 21:00 on Monday, 12 October, and noticed a smell of alcohol. He showed his parliamentary ID and invoked immunity, so no breath test was carried out.
A stop on Elektryczna Street
On Monday, 12 October 2026, at about 21:00, police patrolling Elektryczna Street in Tarnów noticed a cyclist riding after dark without the required lighting. Officers stopped him for a check, and riding after dark without lighting is an offence. During the identity check they found that the man was a member of parliament representing the Tarnów constituency. Officers also noticed a smell of alcohol coming from him. Joanna Dychtoń, a spokesperson for the Tarnów police communications team, later gave Radio ESKA an account of the stop.
No breath test after immunity was cited
The MP showed his parliamentary ID and said he would use the procedure his immunity provides, and officers then stopped taking further action at the scene. As a result, no breath test was carried out, so there is no result showing whether he was under the influence or what his blood alcohol level may have been. Some reports describe the episode as a refusal of the breath test, while other reports say the test simply never took place. Officers wrote an official note and documented the stop, and the spokesperson described the paperwork this way:
In line with the applicable regulations, the whole incident was documented in detail. Officers drafted an official note, which will form the basis for further proceedings.
Who the MP is
Police did not name the MP in their first statements. Radio Kraków said its own findings identified him as Robert Wardzała, a Civic Coalition (KO) MP, and Niezależna.pl reported the same party affiliation from information it had obtained. When Niezależna.pl asked the Tarnów city police directly whether Wardzała had been the cyclist, the duty officer neither confirmed nor denied it and asked the paper to call back in the morning. TEMI, the weekly that first reported the stop, did not name the MP. Citing unofficial information, the weekly wrote that he disputed the actions of the services and was keen for the incident not to come to light. Police have not confirmed the identity, so the name rests on the outlets that reported it.
Where the file goes next
The documentation from the Tarnów police was passed to the Kraków Voivodeship Police Headquarters. From there it is due to reach the National Police Headquarters (Komenda Główna Policji), and then the Marshal of the Sejm. The stop took place on a Monday evening, and the file must pass through two police levels before reaching the parliamentary decision-maker. The Marshal of the Sejm, after reviewing the file, is expected to decide what happens to the MP. Until that decision, no breath test result exists to establish whether he was under the influence.