WARSAW--Polish military prosecutors on Friday charged Polish and
Russian officials with causing an airplane crash that killed
President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others in 2010, while admitting the
crew of the plane was mainly to blame.
The investigators broadly confirmed earlier findings by the
Polish administration concluding that bad weather, mistakes by the
Polish Air Force detachment in charge of transporting the
president, and errors by Russian air-traffic controllers all
contributed to the accident.
After a nearly five-year-long investigation the prosecutors
charged Polish officials with inappropriate selection of the flight
crew, who lacked the qualifications and experience needed to fly
the presidential plane in difficult weather conditions. The Russian
flight controllers from Smolensk are being charged with putting the
plane at risk and unintentionally causing the crash. Details of the
accusations are being withheld.
The Polish officials have denied the accusations and declined to
provide explanations for their actions, Prosecutor Ireneusz Szelag
said.
Mr. Szelag said steps have been taken to interrogate the Russian
controllers, who face up to eight years in prison if tried and
found guilty.
"It is not our role to estimate chances for these men coming to
Poland," Mr. Szelag said.
Relations between Warsaw and Moscow have deteriorated since the
crash, with Polish officials making numerous complaints about
Russia's actions in its aftermath. The airplane wreckage remains in
Smolensk five years after the tragedy despite repeated requests by
the Polish government for its return.
Polish-Russian relations turned soured further following the
ousting of Ukraine's president Viktor Yanukovych, Russia's
annexation of the Crimea and the resulting separatist conflict in
the east of the country.
Warsaw is a vocal supporter of Kiev's new regime and opposed
Russia's actions both in the Crimea and eastern Ukraine and has
frequently called on the European Union to impose tougher sanctions
on Moscow.
The prosecutors" decision, which was taken two weeks before the
fifth anniversary of the crash and during a continuing presidential
campaign, is likely to rekindle internal Polish conflict between
supporters of the conservative Law and Justice party and the ruling
Civic Platform.
Law and Justice supporters, often distrustful of Moscow, believe
the government isn't doing enough to explain the crash and say no
cause should be ruled out, including a potential plot to
assassinate President Kaczynski.
Write to Patryk Wasilewski at patryk.wasilewski@wsj.com
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