Poland detains former government aides over 8.4 million PLN foundation campaign

Detentions and financial charges

Officers from the Rzeszów branch of the Central Anticorruption Bureau detained Anna Plakwicz and Piotr Matczuk in the Mazowieckie province on 23 September 2026. Both suspects previously managed Solvere, a public relations company hired in 2017 by the Polish National Foundation to conduct the "Sprawiedliwe Sądy" (Fair Courts) billboard campaign. Prosecutors at the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Rzeszów presented both individuals with charges of causing large-scale financial damage to the foundation. Investigators determined that the financial loss inflicted on the organisation amounted to at least 8,428,542.74 PLN. Following their questioning in Rzeszów, both Plakwicz and Matczuk pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Scope of the campaign inquiry

The inquiry centres on the 2017 nationwide media initiative promoting judicial changes proposed by the Law and Justice (PiS) and Solidarna Polska coalition. Investigators established that Plakwicz and Matczuk submitted a campaign proposal in July 2017 before signing an execution contract with the foundation board in August 2017. The prosecution contends that the project breached the statutory goals of the foundation, which was created in 2016 by 17 State Treasury companies to promote Poland's economy and brand abroad. Prosecutors assert that the campaign provided illicit non-monetary marketing services worth over 8.4 million PLN to the ruling parties in violation of the Political Parties Act, using opinion research to design political communication strategies.

Political reactions across parties

The enforcement action generated immediate political responses across government and opposition figures. Prime Minister Donald Tusk characterised the 2017 campaign as an inappropriate use of state assets to target the court system.

“It was nationwide billboards, it was an attack organised by the government on the independent judiciary, so it is a double scandal. Not only the misuse of public funds, but also for a clearly bad purpose. So it is good that the persons responsible for this have become better acquainted with the justice system.”

PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński described the detentions as politically motivated targeting of opposition figures.

“Tusk's Poland is not the rule of law, but the law of force.”

PiS lawmaker Jacek Sasin termed the action retaliation against the Presidential Chancellery, where Plakwicz currently serves as director of the Presidential Events Bureau under President Karol Nawrocki. Presidential spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz defended Plakwicz as a reliable staff member and argued that the investigation revisits a settled matter from nine years ago.

Procedural steps and legal outlook

Following his release from questioning, Matczuk disputed the logic of the charges on television and objected to the tactical raid on his home.

“In these charges themselves, the case does not add up at all, because I, who was never in the Polish National Foundation, am accused of exposing this foundation to losses. It does not add up at all.”

Both suspects face up to 10 years of imprisonment if convicted. Prosecutors imposed preventative measures including police supervision, passport seizures, bans on leaving the country, and prohibitions against contacting former foundation board members Maciej Świrski and Cezary Jurkiewicz, who received related charges in July 2026. Regional prosecution spokesperson Dorota Sokołowska-Mach confirmed that the investigation is ongoing and that further individuals may face charges.