Poland summons EU's Tusk as witness in jet crash probe

Image
AFP Warsaw
Last Updated : May 16 2017 | 1:22 AM IST
Polish prosecutors said today they have again summoned EU President Donald Tusk to testify as a witness in Warsaw regarding the 2010 presidential jet crash in Russia that killed Poland's then president and 95 others.
The former liberal Polish prime minister was summoned for July 5 to testify regarding "public officials who failed to comply with obligations" concerning crash victim autopsies, Ewa Bialik, a spokeswoman for national prosecutors, told the Polish news agency PAP.
Tusk already testified for eight hours in the Polish capital last month as a witness in an investigation of two former military counter-intelligence chiefs accused of overstepping their duties.
An arch-rival of Jaroslaw Kaczynski -- the powerful leader of the conservative governing Law and Justice (PiS) party -- Tusk said at the time that "this whole affair is extremely politically motivated."
He was first summoned days after EU leaders gave him another term as president despite strong opposition from Poland.
Kaczynski's late twin brother and then president, Lech Kaczynski, died in the 2010 crash in Smolensk, Russia that also killed a number of senior Polish statesmen.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski has long insisted that the 2010 crash was no accident and even accused Tusk, who was prime minister at the time, of "moral responsibility" for the death of his brother.
Polish and Russian investigators had found that pilot error, bad weather and poor air-traffic control were to blame for the crash.
But the PiS launched a fresh probe and a commission of enquiry suggested last month that an explosion likely caused the aircraft to break up in the air.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 16 2017 | 1:22 AM IST

Next Story