Warsaw prosecutors refuse to investigate Sikorski for calling Macierewicz a 'nutjob' in parliament

The Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office refused on 10 June to open an investigation into whether Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski defamed Law and Justice (PiS) MP Antoni Macierewicz by calling him a 'świr' (nutjob) during a parliamentary session. The decision was announced on 16 June.

The parliamentary exchange

On 13 March 2026, during a Sejm debate on President Karol Nawrocki's veto of the SAFE defence-loan programme, Sikorski addressed Macierewicz directly from the rostrum. 'Antek, świrze, where are the Caracals? Where are the Mistrals for one euro? Where is the evidence of the Smolensk assassination?' he asked. The remarks referred to helicopter and warship procurement decisions Macierewicz made as defence minister and to his long-standing claims about the 2010 Smolensk air crash.

Why prosecutors refused

Defamation under Article 212 of the Penal Code is a private-prosecution offence. A public prosecutor may step in only when the rule of law or public interest demands it. Prosecutor Piotr Antoni Skiba, spokesman for the office, said those conditions were not met.

“The prosecutor took into account that the injured party is capable of independently pursuing his rights in court, given his extensive judicial experience, including a series of trials that ended favourably for Antoni Macierewicz.”

Skiba also noted that over the past 10 years Sikorski has repeatedly used the term 'świr' toward Macierewicz, yet the former minister never took any legal action. 'Since the injured party himself did not wish for so many years to use the means to protect his good name, it does not seem appropriate or justified for a prosecutor to pre-empt him,' Skiba added.

Sharp words for both camps

The decision did not excuse Sikorski's language. The prosecutor stated that the foreign minister's words 'fall short of standards of cultured communication and good manners and are unbecoming of the dignity of the state.' However, the statement also criticised Macierewicz's own behaviour during the same debate, saying it was 'in no way reconcilable with the dignity of the state' and that the Sejm Marshal, despite noticing the circumstances, did not use available tools to restore order.

What happens next

The ruling does not block Macierewicz from seeking redress. He may file a private criminal indictment in court as a private prosecutor. The case was triggered by a request from PiS MP Bartosz Kownacki; Macierewicz himself has not brought a private complaint.