Top Secret Documents Detailing Investigation Into Poland’S Secret Tapes Affair Are Published On Facebook

Thousands of pages of confidential reports from an investigation into Poland’s secret tapes affair – including top secret information about the personal details of state security officers – have been published online, in what the head of the office of the prime minister has called ‘the biggest leak in history’.

As well as the personal information, the files include full records of interviews with witnesses in the case, as well as with senior businessmen and politicians whose conversations were recorded illegally in two Warsaw restaurants. In all, there are more than 2,500 pages.

The documents were published by Polish businessman Zbigniew Stonoga, who has been fighting a long-running battle with the authorities since running into trouble with Poland’s inland revenue. Photographs of each page of the files appear on Mr Stonoga’s various Facebook and blog pages.

Jacek Cichocki, of the chancellory of the prime minister, described the leak as ‘the biggest in history’.

He added: “This is a very bad situation. The leaks devastate the very order that we should protect… this is devastating for the basic system of institutions.”

Only a small number of people – around 20, in all – have had access to the files, including investigators and the prosecutors office, and some of the people who were interviewed. All access was allowed under the condition of strict confidentiality.

Mr Cichocki said that an investigation into how the files became public is now underway. He spoke with Andrzej Seremet, Poland’sprosecutor general, and the Internal Security Agency (ABW) have already begun to examine the potential threat that the publication of such personal information may pose.

The prosecutors office has confirmed that the files published by Mr Stonoga are authentic, and that their publication is illegal. But a spokeswoman for the office added that it was not possible to block the files on Facebook pages.

Publication of such material is punishable by up to two years in prison.