Poland's president to pardon imprisoned former government ministers

Poland's president, Andreze Duda, has said he plans to forgive two imprisoned opposition politicians for the second time, adding that he hoped the move would ease mounting tensions between the country's new government and its populist predecessor.

The country's former interior minister, Mariusz Kaminsky and his former deputy, Macey W'sik ʹsik, both of the nationalist Justice and Law Party (PIS), who lost most in the October elections, were imprisoned on Tuesday after being arrested at the presidential palace, reports The Guardian, broadcasting Klanoskova.tv.

First convicted in 2015 of abuse of their authority while working at Poland's Central Anti-Corruption Bureau nearly a decade ago, the two lost appeal against the verdict in December and were sentenced to two years in prison.

Duda, forgave them in 2015, allowing them to serve in the last government, but his decision was annulled by the Supreme Court with the reasoning that it was approved before a final appeals court ruling.

Duda has long insisted that the 2015 apologys were “final”, but after meeting the women of two men on Thursday, he said new apology procedures were under way. Both Caminowski and W'sik started hunger strikes, saying there were “political prisoners”.