The recommendation was made during a closed-door meeting of the committee on Monday.
The report from that meeting was scheduled to be presented to parliament in a closed session on Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege that Macierewicz, a former defense minister and senior member of the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS), revealed information classified as “top secret,” “secret,” “confidential,” or “restricted” between April 2018 and May 2022.
At the time, he headed a controversial state commission tasked with reinvestigating the 2010 presidential air crash near Smolensk, western Russia, that killed Polish President Lech Kaczyński and 95 others.
The prosecutor general’s office says the case concerns the public release of material marked with security classifications, including findings from the subcommittee’s investigation into the crash.
If convicted, Macierewicz could face up to five years in prison.
Macierewicz denies wrongdoing, claiming the information was released with the approval of Poland’s security services.
Speaking to reporters, he said the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk "wants to support Putin and lies about the Smolensk crime and the murder of President Lech Kaczyński."
He accused the media and members of parliament of "supporting Putin and the Smolensk crime" and of falsely claiming he had disclosed state secrets.
Jarosław Urbaniak, chairman of the parliamentary committee and a member of the ruling Civic Coalition, said Macierewicz’s remarks during the hearing were consistent with his public statements in recent years.
"He spoke as little as possible about the prosecutor’s request, and as much as possible about Smolensk and who's playing with Putin,” Urbaniak told Polish state news agency PAP.
The request to lift Macierewicz’s immunity was submitted to the lower house in early July by then-prosecutor general Adam Bodnar.
Because the evidence cited in the request included material marked “top secret,” most lawmakers were initially unable to view it, as they lacked the necessary security clearance.
To address this, prosecutors later provided an extract of the justification without the restricted content, allowing more deputies to review the case.
Macierewicz led the investigation panel from its creation in 2016, when he served as defense minister, until the body was disbanded by the current government in early 2024.
In 2022, he presented a controversial report that rejected the findings of the official crash investigation led by Jerzy Miller, which had ruled out foul play.
The panel instead claimed the president had been assassinated and filed a formal complaint with prosecutors alleging a terrorist attack.
After taking power, the new government set up a review team to assess the panel's work.
In October last year, the defense ministry published that team’s report, which resulted in 41 criminal notifications being filed with prosecutors.
Of those, 24 concerned Macierewicz and 10 involved another former defense minister, Mariusz Błaszczak.
The 2010 air crash and its aftermath remain a divisive issue in Polish politics, often fueling tensions between conservatives and liberals.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP