Officers issued a PLN 500 (EUR 120, USD 140) fine, which the parliamentarian accepted, Polish media reported.
Konrad Berkowicz, a lawmaker with the far-right Confederation parliamentary group and deputy leader of the New Hope party, said he did not pay for a frying pan and plates by mistake.
He wrote that he was shopping in a rush, using a self-checkout while wearing headphones, and that not all items scanned. He apologized and said he accepted the fine.
Self-checkout lanes allow customers to scan and pay for goods without a cashier, which places responsibility for proper scanning on the shopper.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded on social media, writing: “One of Confederation’s leaders, Berkowicz, caught attempting theft at Ikea. Not a lot compared with Law and Justice, but you have to start somewhere.”
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński wrote that the incident “shows Confederation is the same as Law and Justice,” while adding that the scale is different.
Law and Justice is Poland’s main conservative opposition party.
Confederation is a right-wing alliance in the Polish parliament that includes the New Hope party.
Sławomir Mentzen, leader of New Hope, defended Berkowicz. He said the lawmaker used a self-checkout while wearing headphones, some items did not scan, and Berkowicz paid the fine without invoking parliamentary immunity.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP