Sławomir Cenckiewicz, head of the Polish president's National Security Bureau (BBN), on Wednesday called for the immediate dismissal of Jarosław Stróżyk, who leads the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW), after a final court ruling in a long-running case over access to classified information.
The National Security Bureau is the body that supports the Polish president on security and defense matters. The Military Counterintelligence Service is responsible for protecting the armed forces and defense structures against espionage and other security threats.
The dispute began in July 2024, when Stróżyk revoked Cenckiewicz’s security clearances, curtailing his authorization to access classified state information.
The decision was later upheld by the Prime Minister's Office, acting as the second-instance authority.
Cenckiewicz challenged the move in court, and the Regional Administrative Court in Warsaw overturned the decisions.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Administrative Court (NSA) dismissed the Prime Minister’s Office’s final appeals, leaving the lower court ruling in place.
In a statement, Cenckiewicz said the judgment was final and binding, and demanded that Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz remove Stróżyk from office.
“For the good of Poland’s security, the special services and the Polish Armed Forces, Jarosław Stróżyk cannot continue to head the Military Counterintelligence Service,” he said.
Cenckiewicz also described the ruling as proof that the withdrawal of his clearances had violated the law. He accused Stróżyk of dragging military counterintelligence into a political fight and said the affair had disrupted the work of the National Security Bureau and, by extension, the office of the president.
The government rejected Cenckiewicz’s interpretation of the ruling.
Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesman for the minister coordinating Poland’s intelligence services, said the judgment did not automatically restore Cenckiewicz’s access to classified information.
He said the security review must continue in line with the courts’ guidance and added that it was wrong to suggest the Supreme Administrative Court had reinstated the clearance.
Dobrzyński also pointed to an ongoing criminal case against Cenckiewicz. He said prosecutors had filed an indictment against him over the disclosure of a state secret connected to part of the strategic operational planning document known as “Warta.”
The spokesman said that case would have to be taken into account in any further review of whether Cenckiewicz can be trusted with classified information.
The ruling is the latest turn in a politically charged dispute involving the presidential camp and Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government, with both sides now presenting the court decision as support for their own position.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP