Military Information Services
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Military Information Services - Wojskowe Służby Informacyjne or WSI was a common name for the Polish military intelligence and counter intelligence agencies. The agency was created after the fall of the communist regime in 1991.
In October 2006 WSI was dissolved by a Polish right wing government on the ground that it had been supposedly involved in several illegal activities. Some of the reduced staff (from 2500 to 600) were approved to work in new services.
Contents |
[edit] Controversy
Testimony and journalists' hypotheses point out cases of:
- acceptance of moles from former Warsaw Pact countries;
- corruption;
- illegal involvement in army tender orders and weapons trading;
- disclosure of secrets;
- obstruction of justice;
- whitewashing crimes;
- setting up classified co-operation with a businessman or a journalist;
- production of false evidence to prosecute innocent people.
Some journalists highlighted cases of terrorism that may be linked to these services. Two such cases are connected with the investigation of The Supreme Chamber of Control against defalcations (see also pl:FOZZ and the pl:Edward Mazur case). The investigation was interrupted because of:
- the death of a direct supervisor of the investigation pl:Michał Falzmann; (17-07-1991 source);
- the deadly car accident of Professor pl:Walerian Pańko; the president of The Supreme Chamber of Control (07-10-1991 source).
Both cases are still unexplained, FOZZ case was partially judged in 2005.
[edit] Reforms
Because the agency skipped external reforms since its overtaking in 1991 and notoriously maintained illegal links and activities, Polish conservative government of Prawo i Sprawiedliwość party declared (October 2005) dissolution of WSI and creation of new services.
All candidates for new services, which replaced the former military intelligence were connected with right-wing party Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc..
[edit] Liquidation
In July 2006 Polish right-wing politician Antoni Macierewicz was nominated by the Polish Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński to the posts of the liquidator of WSI and vice-minister of defence. He is known to be anti-communist.
The dissolution report currently contains about 400 pages. Cases are connected with organized crime, some politicians, journalists-propagandists and VIPs of communist regime - a so-called Treaty.
However, according to many politicians mainly members of Platforma Obywatelska party, there is not many things in the report which couldn't have been predicted earlier - which is a strange statement when considering secret services.
The Sejm allowed president Lech Kaczyński's administration to publish and distribute the report.
[edit] History
In 1990, the 2nd Directorate of General Staff of the Polish Army (Zarzad II Sztabu Generalnego Wojska Polskiego) was joined with military counter-intelligence to form the Military Internal Service (Wojskowa Służba Wewnętrzna or WSW). That way Intelligence and Counter-intelligence was working under one structure which was Zarząd II Wywiadu i Kontrwywiadu - 2nd Directorate for Intelligence and Counter-intelligence. Then, in 1991, the 2nd Directorate for Intelligence and Counter-intelligence were transformed into their latest structure. They were responsible for military counter intelligence and security activities in Poland.
They protected of vital state information and were directly controlled and managed by the MON (Ministry of Defense - Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej), also cooperated with other intelligence services (NATO). WSI investigated and counteracted threats to the state defense system and vital defense information, also held control over arms, explosives, equipment, licences, etc.
In 2006 it was dissolved and common name for factually separate services has been changed to PiS-controlled Intell Służba Kontrwywiadu Wojskowego and Counter-Intell Służba Wywiadu Wojskowego.
