Warsaw 26.05.24, Statement by Robert Szustkowski regarding the article by Tomasz Piatek titled. “45 Kremlin faces of Law and Justice”, which appeared on resetobywatelski.pl on May 23, 2024 and his appearance in the program “Asymmetrical conversations” on tvp.info on May 25, 2024.
In connection with the appearance of the publication entitled.”45 Kremlin faces of Law and Justice ” (23.05.2024), by ed. Tomasz Piątek on the Reset Obywatelski website (https://resetobywatelski.pl/45-kremlowskich-twarzy-pis/), and his appearance on the program “Asymmetrical Conversations” on tvp.info (Asymmetrical Conversations: 25.05.2024, Watch on TVP VOD), I hereby wish to state that these materials are yet another attempt by Tomasz Piątek to discredit my person, to entangle me in the media attack conducted by this author, and to duplicate the rhetoric aimed at identifying me as one of the persons responsible for Russian influence in Poland.
In the article in question, the author of the material wrote: ” As the Law and Justice party persistently tries to deny its ties to Kremlin people and allies, we publish below the basic facts of the case. We publish 45 facts that everyone should know.
- Macierewicz, Kotas, right to access secrets. In 2007. The SKW, created and headed by Macierewicz, granted the right of access to state secrets to the famous “Russian liaison of the Law and Justice Party,” i.e. Jacek Kotas (deputy defense minister in Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s government, as well as chairman of key companies of the developer Radius Group, linked to Russia through its co-founder, billionaire Robert Szustkowski, who headed the Polish branch of Russia’s scandal-plagued MontażSpecBank and collaborated with Kremlin oligarchs Andrei Skocz and Lev Kvetnoi)….”
Also in the program “Asymmetrical Conversations,” Tomasz Piątek again refers to me, as well as the developer Radius Group and Jack Kotas, and my position as Chargé d’affaires of the Gambian Embassy in Russia. I have already referred to the latter in Charity | Robert Szustkowski and in the media Szustkowski refers to misinformation about his position as Chargé d’affaires | Businessjournal
The information contained in the press material authored by Tomasz Piątek, claiming that the Radius Group was linked to Russia through me, and thus Jacek Kotas (once president in Radius Group companies) was a “Russian liaison” because he had access to unspecified secret information, are untrue. The facts cited in support of this thesis are not related to it at all. The fact that a dozen years earlier, for a period of two years (1995-1997), I headed the Polish representative office of Montażspiecbank, (which acted lawfully, as confirmed by its files), or that I once did business with Russian entities, do not constitute any evidence to support the above insinuations.
At that time, in the companies of the so-called Radius Group development I was only a minority passive, indirect shareholder with no role on the boards. It was not me who proposed the candidacy of Jacek Kotas for the management boards of Radius Group companies. The capital invested by me belonged 100% to me, not to any Russian entities.
Once again, I repeat, I am an apolitical person and linking me to the Law and Justice Party or any other political party in Poland is completely unfounded.
This type of insinuation reproduced for years by ed. Piątek are untrue , defamatory and, most importantly, inconsistent with the opinions of the courts of the Republic of Poland, which I have described in detail in the Court disputes| Robert Szustkowski
GENESIS OF SLANDER AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES
Editor Piątek (along with editor Grzegorz Rzeczkowski), built the myth of my alleged shady ties to Russia by citing his source of information, Ewa Domżała: “How did Robert Szustkowski – a Piaseczno-born Swiss citizen, former head of the Warsaw branch of the Russian bank Montażspecbank, and until recently chargé d’affairs of the Gambian embassy in Moscow – end up at Radius?” – asked Domżała in the pages of “Polityka” in 2018. Tomasz Piątek and Grzegorz Rzeczkowski. – “Through my acquaintanceship with the ‘Solncevsky’ group” – the woman replied. “These are people of one of the most important Russian mafias.” – “So are you saying that Szuskowski entered Radius with Russian money?” – asked Piątek and Rzeczkowski – “Yes, thanks to what he earned from the Russians. He was getting something like a salary from the Solntsevskis for arranging various affairs in the world. (…) Szustkowski has Kotas, and the Solncevskis have Szustkowski. Kotas does something with the military, his boss Szustkowski with the Solncevskis, the Solncevskis with the GRU.” – Domżała said.
Ewa Domżała’s words were also quoted – among many other publications – by Ed. Rzeczkowski’s book “Alien Alphabet,” which Piątek recommends at the end of the program on TVP.info. The book has already been found by the court once to be of dubious credibility as evidence, which I also describe in the tab Court disputes| Robert Szustkowski.
I would like to strongly emphasize that these sensational reports are untrue. This was confirmed by Ewa Domżała herself in 2019. She testified in one of the criminal proceedings to a truth that is shocking to public opinion and undermines the integrity of both journalists. I never disclosed this information. However, I believe it is in the public interest to reveal previously unknown facts. I hope this will allow a sober assessment of the activities and credibility of the work of the two journalists, who are trying to build their careers through, among other things, years of baseless slander of my name. Ewa Domżała on June 25, 2019, in the criminal case with the number 5 Ds. 1025.2018.1, pages 146 – 147, testified that:
- spoke with a journalist from Gazeta Wyborcza named Piątek and Rzeczkowski from Polityka about my case. She further testified that it was the journalists who contacted her and it was a loose conversation, and that she (Domżała) did not authorize their publications and did not review their content before publication. She also testified that journalists conveyed their truth using there.
- In the same criminal case – pages 198-200 – Ewa Domżała testified that she talked to journalists Tomasz Piątek and Grzegorz Rzeczkowski about me. Then, she testified that it was journalists who told her about my alleged contacts with the Mafia, and that the fact that I was supposed to work with the Mafia was written by Tomasz Piątek, while she would never have said such a thing and it would never have occurred to her. She also testified that she did not authorize the articles and did not review their contents before publication, and that the claims about my ties to the Mafia were the work of journalists.
However, this does not prevent the aforementioned journalists from duplicating slander under my name to this day.
In addition, the claims about my shady ties to Russia in the context of access to secret information of the so-called “Russian liaison” Jacek Kotas are inconsistent with the opinion of the District Court in Warsaw, XXIV Civil Division (ref. no. XXIV C 47/17 zagr), which found that my personal rights were violated. In 2020, the court ruled that in the case of a series of articles on the issue of Antoni Macierewicz’s release of access to classified information by Jacek Kotas
published unreliable, unverified press information that could not serve the public interest
. Quoting the Court “Freedom of the press and other social media, is not a value given to journalists or the media, but is meant to serve the public by providing comprehensive information and shaping views by expressing judgments on events of general interest. Thus, freedom of the press does not mean the right for disseminating information that is untrue, or interpretations that distort reality, in a way that is devoid of any factual justification, or presenting press material in a way that does not allow the reader to distinguish a statement of fact from an evaluation formulated by the author, or citing one’s views as irrefutable facts. Thus, freedom of the press and freedom of expression do not justify violating personal rights by providing information that is inconsistent with reality (Supreme Court ruling of November 29, 2016, I CSK 715/15,Warsaw Court of Appeals ruling of June 28, 2017, I ACa 639/16).”
As a result of the legal proceedings, I signed settlements with the largest publishing houses in Poland, and apologies and corrigenda appeared in many press titles in Poland:
RASP APOLOGY FOR VIOLATION OF MY PERSONAL RIGHTS IN THE FORM OF DIGNITY AND GOOD NAME
“APOLOGY
Ringier Axel Springer Polska Spółka LTD., with its registered office in Warsaw, as the publisher of the website www.fakt.pl, www.onet.pl, www.newsweek.pl and the daily newspaper Fakt Gazeta Codzienna, apologizes to Mr. Robert Szustkowski for violating his personal rights in the form of dignity and good name with the content of a series of publications in which false information was publicly disseminated about Mr. Robert Szustkowski, that he was allegedly associated with the KGB and GRU and the Russian mafia, did business with its members, that as a trusted KGB man he has allegedly been working for years with top KGB officers, close even to Russian President Vladimir Putin himself, as well as untrue information that Mr. Robert Szustkowski allegedly had close ties with Marek Falenta – organizer of wiretapping in the so-called “Russian mafia”. “tape affair,” was even supposed to be his protector, the most important person from Falenta’s point of view in the Kuzbas puzzle, who was supposed to recommend Falenta to the Russians, with which we slandered Robert Szustkowski for his connection with organizing or facilitating the organization of the so-called “tape scandal.”The Management Board of Ringier Axel Springer Polska Sp. z o.o.”
I also entered into two settlements with Agora S.A. regarding articles defaming me, which resulted in the removal of several of them.
Additional corrigenda also appeared in POLITYKA and Newsweek.
CORRIGENDUM TO THE ARTICLE BY GRZEGORZ RZECZKOWSKI “RUSSIAN TRACE ON THE TAPES”, WHICH APPEARED ON THE PAGES OF THE WEEKLY MAGAZINE POLITYKA
CORRIGENDUM TO THE ARTICLE BY TOMASZ PIĄTEK “12 SECRETS OF THE ARMS AND RESPIRATOR TRAFFICKER” WHICH APPEARED ON THE PAGES OF NEWSWEEK POLSKA
I am sad to say that all these court settlements, settlements and testimonies of Ewa Domżała, did not prevent Tomaszek Piątek and Grzegorz Rzeczkowski repeatedly, on the pages of many press titles, in many publications in the wider media, including social media, in 2019-2024 to perpetuate my image as a negative person, accusing me of the above-mentioned allegations, uncorroborated by any evidence, and to supplement them with further theses, cited in the context of my alleged ties to the Russian mafia or foreign intelligence.
Best regards,
Robert Szustkowski