The istotne.pl editorial office received information in the summer that the Bolesławiec District Prosecutor’s Office had allegedly charged one of the councillors of the Nowogrodziec Municipal Council. A report sent by a reader stated that the case concerned documentation related to the work of the Audit Committee.

The Bolesławiec District Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the information about the proceedings themselves. We have established that the proceedings in this matter were concluded on 21 November 2025. The result? An indictment was filed with the District Court in Bolesławiec.

We asked the aforementioned court for details of the charges and the current stage of the case.

It provided a detailed description of the alleged offence. The response states that the councillor:

(…) is charged with the fact that on 21 May 2025, in Nowogrodziec, during a meeting of the Audit Committee of the Municipal Council in Nowogrodziec, he exceeded his powers as Chair of that committee by preparing documentation from the meeting, including a committee resolution stating that on that day the committee members had positively voted on opinions following the execution of the budget, with wording matching that in the appendix attached to the resolution, even though he had not put that wording of the opinions to a vote and the committee members were not aware that they were voting on such wording; moreover, he personally signed the wording of that resolution and the opinion, thereby acting to the detriment of the public interest and certifying an untruth.

This type of offence is punishable by up to five years in prison.

We also asked the mayor of Nowogrodziec, Joanna Świder, for her position on the matter. In her response, the head of the Nowogrodziec municipal office stressed that the office is not the authority competent to provide information about the course of criminal proceedings:

In response to questions concerning proceedings against one of the councillors of the Municipal Council in Nowogrodziec, the Mayor of Nowogrodziec informs that she is not the authority authorised to provide information about the course and details of proceedings conducted by law enforcement authorities. All questions in this regard should be directed to the competent prosecutor’s office. For her part, the Mayor of Nowogrodziec declares full cooperation with the justice authorities. At the request of the Bolesławiec District Prosecutor’s Office, the Nowogrodziec Municipal Office promptly provided the required documentation concerning the work of the Audit Committee.

She added:

With regard to the actions taken, I would like to draw attention to the existing constitutional division of powers in local government. The Audit Committee and the Municipal Council in Nowogrodziec are bodies independent of the Mayor. The executive authority has no power to control the substantive activities of councillors, verify documents produced by them, or influence the internal procedures applicable in the Municipal Council’s standing committees. These powers belong exclusively to the Chair of the Municipal Council.

The case is currently before the District Court in Bolesławiec. The next hearing has been scheduled for October 2026. It will be open to the public.

The councillor is no longer head of the aforementioned committee.

We will return to this topic.