Three Polish justice officials were dismissed
and another resigned on Tuesday amid the controversial suicide of a prisoner as
Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for an investigation, dpa reported.
The prisoner, Robert Pazik, was convicted for murdering the son of a wealthy
businessman. Pazik was found dead, hanging from a bed sheet in his cell on
Monday morning. Of the men convicted for the kidnap and murder of Krzysztof
Olewnik, Pazik was the third to commit suicide.
Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Cwiakalski resigned amid "political and
media hysteria," and said that Tusk thought a resignation was "best
in this situation."
Olewnik was held for a ransom of 300,000 euros (388,530 dollars), according to
broadcaster Polish Radio, before being tortured and brutally murdered in
October 2001. His family's lawyers had accused police officials of corruption
and neglect of duty.
The murder victim's sister has claimed the prisoners were murdered to stifle
the emergence of further details in the case.
Cwiakalski said he didn't feel at fault, but added there is such a thing as
"political responsibility."
The head of the country's prison service, the national prosecutor and the
vice-minister of justice will also be dismissed, Tusk said later on Tuesday. He
added that a commission should be called to investigate the death.
"The matter calls for an explanation not only in the sense of
justice," Tusk said, "but the public also has the right to fully
access the information, so that there's no dark mystery hanging over this
matter."