Opole deputy regional prosecutor suspended after drunk driving arrest on A4 highway

Traffic stop on the A4 highway

Police officers from the District Police Headquarters in Przeworsk detained a 53-year-old driver on the A4 motorway in the Podkarpackie region on Tuesday night, 29 September 2026. The intervention followed a notification to the emergency telephone number reporting a vehicle moving erratically along the motorway in the direction of the border crossing in Korczowa. Officers located and stopped the reported Kia passenger car shortly after 21:00.

Upon being pulled over, the driver identified himself to the police officers as a prosecutor. The detained individual was identified as Henryk W., the deputy regional prosecutor in Opole. Officers took him into custody and transported him to a police detention facility, while notifying his superiors about the incident.

Breathalyzer test results and legal limits

Breathalyzer examinations conducted by the police revealed high levels of intoxication. The first breath test registered a concentration of 1.22 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air. A follow-up test conducted roughly forty minutes later showed an increase in alcohol concentration.

Spokesperson for the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Przemyśl Małgorzata Taciuch-Kurasiewicz detailed the test results:

It was Henryk W. He had 1.22 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air. The test was repeated at 21.57. At that time, he had 1.47 mg/l in exhaled air.

Under Polish law, driving with a breath alcohol level between 0.10 mg/l and 0.25 mg/l (0.2 to 0.5 promille blood alcohol) constitutes a misdemeanor. Exceeding 0.25 mg/l (0.5 promille) constitutes a criminal offense. A breath measurement of 1.47 mg/l corresponds to approximately 3.0 promille blood alcohol content. Drivers convicted of driving under the influence face prison terms, heavy financial fines, mandatory driving bans of at least three years, and vehicle confiscation.

Disciplinary action and immunity proceedings

Following the detention, the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Opole initiated disciplinary measures against Henryk W., who had been on medical leave since August 2026. The prosecutor was suspended from official duties, and official requests were submitted to remove him permanently from his managerial role and cut his salary in half.

Stanisław Bar, spokesperson for the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Opole, confirmed the internal steps:

The Regional Prosecutor also submitted a motion to dismiss him from his function and reduce his salary to half its value.

Because Henryk W. holds prosecutorial immunity, prosecutors cannot formally present criminal charges without completing an immunity waiver procedure. The case was initially assigned to the District Prosecutor's Office in Przeworsk before being taken over by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Przemyśl. On 30 September 2026, Przemyśl prosecutors prepared to transfer the entire file to the Internal Affairs Department of the National Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, which handles criminal proceedings involving judges and prosecutors.

Prior prosecutorial incident in September

The incident on the A4 highway represents the second case of a high-ranking prosecutor caught driving under the influence in Poland during September 2026. On 6 September 2026, Dominik M., the deputy district prosecutor in Bydgoszcz, was apprehended in front of a rural shop near Bydgoszcz while operating a motorcycle.

Witnesses at the scene noticed signs of heavy intoxication, confiscated the motorcycle keys to prevent him from continuing his ride, and notified the police. Subsequent laboratory analysis of blood samples taken from Dominik M. registered ethyl alcohol concentrations of 1.10 promille, 0.97 promille, and 0.88 promille across sequential tests.