WEEKLY NEWSMAGAZINE  Top Cop Popped 2005-04-13 Top Cop Popped The trial of Gen. Antoni Kowalczyk, former national police commissioner, opened April 5 in the District Court in Kielce. He is charged with dereliction of duty and bearing false testimony in connection with the Starachowice scandal. The District Prosecutor's Office in Rzeszów has charged Kowalczyk in connection with his failure to notify the prosecutor's office of an offense prosecuted ex officio, or a leak of confidential information concerning a planned police action against Starachowice local government officials. The second charge concerns repeated acts of perjury and obstruction of justice at the District Prosecutor's Office in Kielce during an investigation into the "Starachowice leak." According to the prosecutor's office, the charges of obstruction of justice and false testimony involve the accused's knowledge of the planned operation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBŚ) in Starachowice and his communication of that information to Zbigniew Sobotka, the then deputy minister of internal affairs and administration. The Starachowice scandal involves a leak of classified information about the CBŚ action in March 2003 in Starachowice targeting local offenders. The District Court in Kielce sentenced Sobotka to 3.5 years in prison, Henryk Długosz, an MP of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), to two years and MP Andrzej Jagiełło to 1.5 years in January this year. Kowalczyk did not plead guilty. He claims that the CBŚ chief in Kielce, as early as March 26, 2003-the day police recorded the conversation with Jagiełło forewarning Starachowice local government officials of the CBŚ action-officially notified Janusz Bors, deputy district prosecutor, of the information leak. Kowalczyk also pleaded not guilty to the charge of perjury. Medics On Trial The trial of two former paramedics and two former physicians of Łódź's ambulance service accused in the "skin hunters" scandal opened April 4 in the District Court in Łódź. The former paramedics are charged with the murder of five patients for financial gains. The physicians are accused of 14 counts of homicide and/or manslaughter. All face charges of bribe-taking in amounts ranging from zl.12,000 to over zl.70,000 in the space of a few years from funeral parlors in exchange for information about patient deaths. The former paramedics face sentences of 12 years to life, and the physicians-of up to 10 years. According to the prosecutor's office, the two paramedics committed murder by administering the muscle relaxant Pavulon in 2000 and 2001, receiving money from funeral home owners for notification of the patients' deaths. During the investigation, the defendants pleaded guilty. Former ambulance doctor Janusz K. faces charges of failure to resuscitate 10 patients, and doctor Paweł W.-of four patients. Polish-American Talks Polish Minister of Defense Jerzy Szmajdziński and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for international Security Policy Mira R. Ricardel (pictured left), on a two-day visit to Poland, discussed the implementation of the nuclear Posture Review (NPR). Poland ratified the treaty in 1970. "Ricardel acquainted the Polish delegation with the U.S. view on strategies for counteracting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the role of American nuclear weapons in the allied deterrence system and threats to international security. Szmajdziński obtained information concerning the results of the U.S. nuclear arsenal reduction to date," reads the Ministry of Defense (MON) communiqué issued April 6. Andrzej Karkoszka, MON defense policy department head, and Lt. Gen. Mieczysław Cieniuch, first deputy chief of the General Staff, also attended the meeting. Col. Piotr Pertek, director of the MON Information Center, announced April 6 that Szmajdziński had emphasized the positive aspects of the strategic partnership between Poland and the United States, including within the framework of the operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and the military campaign in Iraq. Ricardel thanked Poland for its engagement in the fight against terrorism. Poles Feel Safer Since last year, the number of residents who perceive Poland as a country threatened by a high level of crime has decreased. Moreover, fewer respondents are concerned about their own safety and that of their families. In March, a question concerning whether Poland is a safe country to live in was answered positively by 46 percent of respondents-in contrast to 33 percent one year earlier, and negatively by nearly one half: 49 percent-a drop of 16 percentage points. A total of 78 percent of respondents evaluated their place of residence as safe-in comparison with 75 percent one year earlier, while one-fifth, down from 24 percent, described their place of residence as unsafe. Forty-five percent, or 9 points more than last year, stated they were unafraid of being a victim of crime, although 42 percent expressed these fears, down slightly from 49 percent. One's feeling of security is not linked to the age of respondents, but rather to their place of residence. The larger the locality, the greater is the perceived threat. According to the CBOS polling center carrying out the survey, opinions concerning Poland's high crime rate are produced by media messages rather than personal experience or information. The poll was conducted March 4-7 on a representative random sample of 1,025 adult Poles. A Date With "The Gipper" In connection with the upcoming 25th anniversary of the foundation of the Solidarity movement and the first anniversary of the death of the 40th President of the United States, the KoLiber Association invites the public to the conference Ronald Reagan: Man, Leader, Visionary, devoted to the legacy of President Reagan. Political scientists, journalists and artists will take part in the conference. The event will take place April 15 in Warsaw, in the boardroom of Stronnictwo Demokratyczne party on 9 Chmielna St., and starts at 11 a.m. The detailed program of the event can be found at www.reagan.pl. Admission is free. The Warsaw Voice, Stosunki Międzynarodowe magazine as well as the Ronald Reagan Monument Committee are patrons of the conference. (The Warsaw Voice)