May 10, Pozirk. The head of the Polish Supreme Administrative Court accepted the resignation of Judge Tomasz Szmydt on May 9, three days after he defected to Belarus, Sylwester Marciniak, communications officer at the court, said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Polish prosecutors launched an investigation on suspicion of Szmydt’s involvement in foreign intelligence activities, stripping the judge of immunity.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Belarusian secret services worked with Szmidt much longer than “a few months.”
Polish Justice Minister Adam Bodnar said the ex-judge may be put on an international wanted list.
Szmydt submitted an unofficial asylum request in Belarus on May 6, saying he was forced to leave Poland because of disagreement with the government’s policy. He claimed that he “was persecuted and threatened for his independent political position.”
The Pole asked Alaksandar Łukašenka for protection and announced his resignation at a press conference hosted by BelTA, a state-run news agency in Minsk.
The Belarusian ruler said on May 9 that he would provide security for Szmydt, describing him as “a normal, patriotic Pole.” He dismissed the spying allegations as nonsense.
Relations between Belarus and Poland are currently at a low point with tension persisting over the political persecution of ethnic Poles in Belarus, Minsk’s alleged role in facilitating illegal migration from Asia and Africa into Poland and Łukašenka’s anti-Polish rhetoric and support for the Russian war against Ukraine.
