Tape Affair: Attorney General next to go?

Although senior coalition partner Civic Platform has criticised the Attorney General fornot managing to keep the files confidential while the investigation continued, a two thirds majority in parliament would be necessary to dethrone Seremet.

Furthermore, at least half of all currently serving MPs would have to be present for the vote to be valid.

Meanwhile, opposition party Law and Justice has already confirmed that it is against the removal of the Attorney General.

Seremet's office was in the middle of its investigation into the illegal wiretapping of Polish officials when reams of documents from its probe were published by blogger and businessman Zbigniew Stonoga.

Prior to the probe, excerpts from the recordings caused a furore in the summer of 2014, when Polish weekly Wprost published a series.

Newly leaked material prompted a wave of resignations, including three ministers.

Although Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz has apologised to the electorate for controversial and at times vulgar comments made by minsters and officials in the tapes, she has also said the leak itself compromises the authority of the Attorney General.

“It undermines confidence in a particular way for such an institution, one which is based on public trust,” Kopacz said following the leak.

Regardless of whether a vote goes ahead, Andrzej Seremet is already scheduled to complete his six-year term in office in March 2016.

Blogger Zbigniew Stonoga claimed earlier this week in an interview with Polish Radio that many members of staff at the Attorney General's office had been “furious” in recent months as they had allegedly not been allowed to work “normally” on the case.

Stonoga said that the leak “certainly prevents this matter from being further swept under the carpet.” (nh)