Polish prosecutors open investigation into judge who fled to autocratic Belarus

By VANESSA GERA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish prosecutors say they have opened an investigation after a Polish judge fled to the autocratic state of Belarus and asked for protection there. According to Belarus state media, the judge told journalists in the Belarusian capital that he was forced to leave Poland due to disagreements with the current authorities. The National Prosecutor’s Office said Monday it sis looking into suspicions that the judge had acted on behalf of a foreign intelligence service. Poland’s Internal Security Agency has begun a separate probe into the scope of classified information the judge had access to. Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski is describing the judge as a traitor.