Poland's premier on Thursday named Borys Budka as the new justice minister after his predecessor resigned over issues regarding his gun permit just days before a presidential vote.
Budka, a 37-year-old lawyer and economist from Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz's centre-right Civic Platform party, replaces Cezary Grabarczyk, who had been justice minister since September 2014.
The 55-year-old wound up in the crosshairs of the opposition and the media after reports surfaced last week that he failed to take both a written and practical test to obtain his permit from a police unit in the central city of Lodz, that is already under investigation for similar cases.
He reportedly took only the written test.
Grabarczyk said he was innocent but chose to resign because a justice minister cannot do his job while under a cloud of suspicion, government spokeswoman Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska said.
Poland will hold the first round of its presidential elections in early May and a parliamentary vote in the fall.
Poland’s premier on Thursday named Borys Budka as the new justice minister after his predecessor resigned over issues regarding his gun permit just days before a presidential vote.
Budka, a 37-year-old lawyer and economist from Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz’s centre-right Civic Platform party, replaces Cezary Grabarczyk, who had been justice minister since September 2014.
The 55-year-old wound up in the crosshairs of the opposition and the media after reports surfaced last week that he failed to take both a written and practical test to obtain his permit from a police unit in the central city of Lodz, that is already under investigation for similar cases.
He reportedly took only the written test.
Grabarczyk said he was innocent but chose to resign because a justice minister cannot do his job while under a cloud of suspicion, government spokeswoman Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska said.
Poland will hold the first round of its presidential elections in early May and a parliamentary vote in the fall.
