The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has submitted a second request to Poland’s parliament to lift the immunity of a sitting member of parliament suspected of trading in influence in an EU-funded tram modernisation probe, as two further suspects were arrested last week. The investigation, supervised by EPPO in Katowice and executed by Poland’s Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA), centres on alleged kickbacks and confidential information leaks tied to a PLN 1.9 billion (€448.3 million) infrastructure project in the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis.
Second immunity request targets sitting MP in EPPO probe
As reported by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in its 30 July 2026 press release, the European Chief Prosecutor, Laura Kövesi, submitted to the Polish Parliament (Sejm) a second request to lift the immunity of an active Member of Parliament, in order to bring criminal proceedings against him and to authorise his detention and pre-trial detention, for suspected trading in influence in an investigation of the EPPO in Katowice.
The EPPO stated that the second request is a necessary procedural step under Article 29 of the EPPO Regulation to enable prosecutors to establish all facts in the ongoing investigation, while searching for both inculpatory and exculpatory evidence.
All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Polish courts of law, the EPPO stressed.
New arrests made during searches in July 2026
According to the EPPO’s 30 July 2026 statement, on 21 July 2026, searches were carried out by the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (Centralne Biuro Antykorupcyjne) in private residences and company premises.
Two individuals suspected of offering financial benefits to the Member of Parliament were arrested, and the competent court ordered their pre-trial detention for three months, the EPPO said.
The EPPO confirmed that these arrests occurred during searches carried out last week in relation to the same investigation linked to the EU-funded modernisation of tram infrastructure in the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis.
Allegations centre on trading in influence and financial benefits
In the course of the ongoing investigation linked to the EU-funded modernisation of tram infrastructure in the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis, an additional set of suspicions emerged concerning this active Member of Parliament, the EPPO stated.
The alleged new facts concern trading in influence and the acceptance of financial benefits in exchange for arranging favourable outcomes for several companies, the EPPO said.
As reported by Daniel Tilles of Notes from Poland on 5 May 2026, the EPPO’s investigation pertains to alleged corruption relating to a company tasked with carrying out work on tram infrastructure, for which 1.9 billion zloty (€448.3 million) in EU funds was designated between 2007 and 2027.
One official, who was detained last December and remains in custody, is accused of providing confidential information to help the firm obtain contracts as part of a system that also involved inflated costs and fictitious work, the EPPO said.
“The evidence also showed that, on several occasions, financial benefits were given to a member of parliament,”
the EPPO added.
CBA involvement and earlier arrests in tram probe
In a separate statement, Poland’s Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) confirmed that its officers had been involved in the EPPO’s investigation, including conducting searches and arrests, as reported by Notes from Poland on 5 May 2026.
In December, the CBA detained four individuals suspected of involvement in corruption, with a further six arrested at the end of April, all at the request of the EPPO, the CBA said.
The CBA also seized over 1 million zloty in cash and revealed that the suspects in the case are believed to have corruptly obtained benefits worth almost 2.7 million zloty, according to Notes from Poland.
As reported by Polskie Radio on 5 May 2026, Poland’s Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) said the total value of bribes estimated in the case stands at nearly PLN 2.7 million (EUR 640,000).
Over EUR 1 million in cash, documents and storage devices have been seized, the CBA said.
Unconfirmed media reports identify MP as Wojciech Król
Neither the EPPO nor the CBA named the MP accused of involvement in the operation, as reported by Notes from Poland on 5 May 2026.
However, two leading media outlets – Gazeta Wyborcza, a liberal daily, and the Onet news website – have reported that it is Wojciech Król, an MP from Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist Civic Coalition (KO) party, Notes from Poland said.
Król, who represents an electoral district that covers the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis, is a deputy chair of KO’s parliamentary caucus and chairman of the National Media Council (RMN), a body that oversees state media outlets such as TVP, Polskie Radio and the Polish Press Agency (PAP), Notes from Poland reported.
As reported by Polskie Radio on 5 May 2026, unconfirmed media reports suggest it concerns Wojciech Król, deputy chairman of the Civic Coalition parliamentary group and head of the National Media Council.
Daily Gazeta Wyborcza reported that Król declined to comment, saying he did not know who the request concerned, Polskie Radio said.
Government response and procedural context
Government spokesman Adam Szłapka called the request routine, as reported by Polskie Radio on 5 May 2026.
“This is a normal process – the result of Poland’s decision to join the EPPO. We need to get used to such cases,”
Szłapka said.
The EPPO was established in 2021 in order to investigate and prosecute crimes against the financial interests of the EU, Notes from Poland reported.
Under Poland’s former national-conservative, Eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) government, the country initially did not join the body, but after Tusk’s more liberal, pro-EU coalition replaced PiS in December 2023, one of its very first actions was to begin the process of joining the EPPO, which was completed in March 2024, Notes from Poland said.
On Tuesday this week, the EPPO announced the European chief prosecutor, Laura Kövesi, had asked the Sejm, the lower house of Poland’s parliament, to lift the immunity of a serving MP, Notes from Poland reported.
First time EPPO has sought to lift Polish MP’s immunity
It is the first time in history that the EPPO has issued such a request for a sitting Polish member of parliament, as reported by Notes from Poland on 5 May 2026.
The suspect has not been officially named, but media reports indicate they are a member of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO) party, Notes from Poland said.
The EPPO in Katowice announced on 5 May 2026 that it was expanding its corruption probe involving tram modernisation in the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis and that the European Chief Prosecutor requested the lifting of immunity of a Member of Parliament for suspected trading in influence, according to a tweet from the EPPO cited by Notes from Poland.
Legal framework and next steps in Sejm
For an MP to be charged, a majority in the Sejm must vote in favour of lifting their immunity, as reported by Notes from Poland on 5 May 2026.
In accordance with the procedures laid down by the EPPO Regulation and the Polish national law, the European Chief Prosecutor submitted to the Polish Parliament (Sejm) a second request to lift the immunity of an active Member of Parliament, in order to bring criminal proceedings against him and to authorise his detention and pre-trial detention, the EPPO said.
This second request is a necessary procedural step to be able to bring proceedings for the additional set of alleged facts, the EPPO stated.
