Poland alerts prosecutors to alleged offenses during probe of 2010 plane crash that killed president

Poland’s Defense Ministry says it has notified prosecutors of suspected offenses committed by members of a typical committee that investigated nan 2010 level clang successful Russia that killed Poland’s then-president and 95 others

WARSAW, Poland -- Poland’s Defense Ministry said Friday it notified prosecutors of suspected offenses committed by members of a typical commission that investigated nan 2010 level clang successful Russia that killed Poland's then-president and 95 others. Commissioners alleged nan clang was a Moscow-sponsored assassination.

The notices of 41 imaginable offenses are nan consequence of a caller reappraisal by experts of nan activity of nan arguable committee that was launched by nan erstwhile right-wing authorities successful 2016. The probe exacerbated Poland’s already profoundly strained relations pinch Russia.

The commission, which was attached to nan Defense Ministry, was mostly seen arsenic politically motivated and serving to consolidate nan electorate of nan blimpish ruling statement led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, nan copy relative of President Lech Kaczynski, who died successful nan crash.

The caller reappraisal launched by nan existent authorities recovered that committee members lacked nan basal qualifications to analyse aviation accidents and manipulated their findings and different information to align them pinch nan theory of an intended explosion aboard nan plane, which they ne'er proved.

The reappraisal published this week said nan commission's activity costs nan authorities immoderate 81 cardinal zlotys ($20 million) and was characterized by a lack of professionalism, including a deficiency of transparency and of reliability. It alleged breaches of rule and maltreatment of powerfulness by nan committee head, Antoni Macierewicz, a erstwhile defense minister, and by his successor astatine nan ministry successful nan erstwhile government, Mariusz Blaszczak. Most of nan notices to prosecutors mention to Macierewicz and Blaszczak.

Current lawman defense curate Cezary Tomczyk said nan reappraisal showed that Macierewicz was “cynically ... cheating Polish nine for galore years" and should carnivore nan consequences. He maintained that Macierewicz could look up to 10 years successful prison.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk called Macierewicz an “instigator and a notorious liar” who acted connected Kaczynski's orders to foment governmental divisions successful Poland.

The nationalist prosecutor's agency said nan notices were being registered Friday but gave nary specifications arsenic to what happens next.

Separate investigations by master aviation commissions successful Poland and Russia concluded nan April 2010 clang astatine a rudimentary airdrome adjacent Smolensk was nan consequence of quality correction during nan landing attack successful dense fog.