Polish MP Accused of Directing Justice Funds to political Allies, Email Evidence Contradicted
A probe into teh alleged misuse of Poland’s Justice Fund has ensnared MP Maria Kurowska, revealing a pattern of directing funds towards her constituency and a shifting narrative surrounding key email evidence.
Maria Kurowska, a staunch defender of Zbigniew Ziobro and his controversial spending practices within the Justice Fund, stands accused of attempting to exert undue influence over the allocation of resources. The Justice Fund,according to prosecutors,was allegedly used as an “electoral piggy bank” to bolster the popularity of politicians associated with the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party. Kurowska,who previously served on the board of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship and has been an MP since 2019 – winning her seat twice from a distant 21st place – allegedly oversaw the distribution of goods like kitchen equipment to rural communities and actively co-financed local fire brigades and hospitals in her region.
During the PiS government, Kurowska, alongside other politicians from Sovereign Poland, reportedly distributed kitchen equipment – including pots, thermoses, heaters, and grills – purchased with funds from the Justice Fund to rural housewives’ circles. She also actively participated in co-financing Volunteer Fire Brigades and hospitals within the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, even reportedly contacting officials at the Ministry of Justice directly via private email. In one such message, revealed by Onet, Kurowska requested 100,000 PLN for each of three hospitals in Rzeszów and Krosno, stating: “Mr. Minister, I am giving you the telephone number of hospital directors […]. I’m asking for 100,000.for each of them. Regards! “MK”.
The funds in question originated from the Justice Fund, overseen at the time by Marcin Romanowski, Ziobro’s deputy. Romanowski currently faces nearly 20 charges and has as fled to hungary, where he was granted political asylum by Viktor Orbán.
Further evidence surfaced indicating Kurowska attempted to control the flow of funds within her political base. On July 24, 2020, she sent an email to Tomasz Mraz, then director of the Justice Fund, requesting specific allocations. However, Kurowska herself claimed personal circumstances prevented her from sending the email, citing her husband’s illness and subsequent death on July 16, 2020. “It was a very tough time for me… And I only started any e-mail correspondence on July 28. I bounced a message off someone somewhere.And ladies and gentlemen, this made me think that it is impossible,” she stated. Ziobro echoed this claim on the “X” platform, alleging the email was manufactured.
Despite these assertions, evidence presented by Onet directly contradicts Kurowska’s claims. The outlet possesses the original .eml file of the message, delivered to Tomasz Mraz’s private email address, and a detailed analysis of its metadata. The email was sent on July 24, 2020, at 13:33 from Kurowska’s parliamentary address, reaching mraz’s inbox within five seconds via the Sejm’s official mail server (poczta-ii.sejm.gov.pl).
The email’s header confirms the message originated from an authorized Sejm server, as verified by SPF records.Internal server jumps within the Sejm’s infrastructure and authentication headers further validate the email’s authenticity. According to Onet, comparisons with other emails sent from Sejm servers in 2020 corroborate these findings.
tomasz Mraz himself confirmed the email’s authenticity, stating, “I can confidently confirm that this email is genuine. The honorable Member seems to have forgotten that she used two mailboxes.” He suggested those assisting Kurowska in her defense had overlooked this crucial detail.
The situation raises serious questions about the integrity of the Justice Fund and the extent to which political influence may have dictated its allocation. The possibilities, as outlined by Mraz, are stark: a hack of the Sejm’s mail server, unauthorized access to Kurowska’s inbox, or Kurowska herself sending the message. The inquiry continues, with the potential for further revelations regarding the alleged misuse of public funds and the attempts to obscure the truth.
