Prosecutor's office refuses investigation into WOŚP auction in the military
The Warsaw prosecutor's office has made an important decision regarding a Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP) auction. It concerned an event promoted by the Deputy Head of the Ministry of National Defense, Cezary Tomczyk. Investigators concluded there were no grounds to initiate proceedings, which had been requested by former minister Mariusz Błaszczak.
The auction, which sparked controversy, took place in January this year. Cezary Tomczyk encouraged bidding for a joint training session on the "Śnieżnik" shooting simulator. The training was to take place at a military unit in Sieradz. The money from the auction went to the WOŚP foundation, which has been collecting funds for modern medical equipment for Polish hospitals for years.
Mariusz Błaszczak, a Law and Justice politician and former head of the Ministry of National Defense, sharply criticized the initiative. In his view, using military equipment and a unit for charitable purposes in such a manner could have been inconsistent with regulations. He filed a notification with the prosecutor's office, demanding a thorough check into whether there had been an abuse of power.
Following an analysis of the documents, the District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw refused to initiate an investigation. This means that investigators found no evidence of a crime committed by the Deputy Head of the Ministry of National Defense. This decision ends the legal dispute in this matter, although the topic of cooperation between the military and non-governmental organizations continues to spark discussions among politicians from various parties.