by Shelby Vcelka

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

WARSAW, Poland–

Former Polish President Lech Walesa has announced that he will be defending himself in court on new claims that he was a paid communist informant for the country’s secret service during the Soviet era. Former President Walesa was the country’s first president of the post-communist era, and was the leader of the Polish Solidarity movement during that time. The state-run National Remembrance Institute (NRI) announced earlier this week that documents confiscated from the house of the last communist interior minister, General Czeslaw Kiszczak, included a letter signed by Walesa indicating his intent to provide the secret service with information. The letter is believed to be authentic.

Lech Walesa faces new allegations of his purported collaboration with the communist secret police. He has faced these allegations many times throughout his career, but was previously cleared in court from any wrongdoing. (Photo courtesy of NPR).

While the allegations themselves are not new, they have resurfaced after Kiszczak’s widow offered to sell the letters to the NRI for 90,000 zlotys (approximately $22,800). Prosecutors seized the documents before the sale was completed because the law requires “important historic papers” to be handed in to the authorities. The documents include 350 pages of secret police files that have never been opened to the public before. Contained in these pages are money receipts signed by “Bolek,” which was Walesa’s code name, according to the NRI president, Lukasz Kaminski.

The documents date from 1970 to 1976. Walesa co-founded the Solidarity movement in 1980, which contributed to the fall of the communist regime in 1989. Walesa was elected president in 1990 as a result of his efforts.

Although Walesa has previously stated he did not collaborate with the secret police, he confirmed in 2008 that he had signed a document that stated his intent to cooperate with the police. He maintains, however, that he did not follow through with this commitment. Walesa wrote on his blog from Venezuela earlier this week, commenting that the documents were forged to discredit him and tarnish his reputation. A special court convened in 2000 had already cleared him of all charges of working with the secret police.

For more information, please see–

BBC– Lech Walesa ‘was paid Communist informant’— 18 February 2016

The Guardian– Lech Wałęsa denies he was secret service informant during communist era— 18 February 2016

NPR– Polish Institute: Files Show Lech Walesa Worked With Communist-Era Secret Police— 18 February 2016

New York Times– Lech Walesa Faces New Accusations of Communist Collaboration— 18 February 2016

Author: Impunity Watch Archive