Poland opens investigation into possible poisoning of president during 2025 election campaign
Prosecutors in Świdnica have opened a formal investigation into an incident on 15 May 2025 in Ząbkowice Śląskie where then-presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki suffered vomiting, convulsions and a brief loss of consciousness after an unknown substance was administered in an undetermined manner.
Polish prosecutors have upgraded their inquiry into a sudden health collapse suffered by Karol Nawrocki during last year's presidential campaign, opening a full investigation into whether the then-candidate was deliberately exposed to a life-threatening substance.
What happened in Ząbkowice Śląskie
The incident occurred on 15 May 2025 during a campaign stop in Ząbkowice Śląskie, a town in Lower Silesia. Nawrocki, then the leading presidential contender, fell ill after a short speech. According to the prosecutor's office, he suffered vomiting, convulsions and a brief loss of consciousness after an unknown substance was administered to him in an undetermined manner. The episode also extended to a second campaign stop that day in nearby Dzierżoniów, per media reports.
The events remained undisclosed for over a year until a book-length interview with the president, "Skąd się wziął Karol Nawrocki?" (Where Did Karol Nawrocki Come From?), conducted by historian Prof. Andrzej Nowak, was published. The portal wpolityce.pl was the first outlet to report on the book's contents, which included Nawrocki's own description of the health crisis.
From preliminary review to full investigation
Following media reports in late June 2026, the District Prosecutor's Office in Świdnica launched an ex officio preliminary review. That review has now been elevated to a formal criminal investigation, announced by the prosecutor's office on Wednesday, 29 July 2026. Prosecutor Marek Rusin stated that the preliminary steps could not rule out a sudden and violent deterioration of the victim's health, and that the complexity and gravity of the matter required a full probe.
Przeprowadzone do tej pory czynności sprawdzające nie wykluczyły, że po zakończeniu spotkania wyborczego w Ząbkowicach Śląskich doszło do nagłego i gwałtownego pogorszenia się stanu zdrowia pokrzywdzonego, dlatego zapadła decyzja, że postępowanie powinno być kontynuowane.
The preliminary review was unable to verify all the relevant circumstances, and the case now requires procedural steps that must be documented in formal protocols, something generally not permitted during a preliminary review phase.
Two private notices added to the file
The investigation file also includes two separate criminal notices submitted by private individuals. Rusin confirmed that the content of these notices indicates a connection to the subject of the case and they have been incorporated into the proceedings.
President Nawrocki has been informed of the investigation and holds the status of injured party, or pokrzywdzony, in the proceedings. The offence under investigation, exposing a person to an immediate danger of loss of life or serious bodily harm, carries a penalty of up to three years' imprisonment.
- Nawrocki falls ill after a campaign rally in Ząbkowice Śląskie; vomiting, convulsions and brief loss of consciousness reported.
- Media report the incident after publication of the book "Skąd się wziął Karol Nawrocki?"; prosecutor's office launches a preliminary review.
- District Prosecutor's Office in Świdnica opens a formal criminal investigation; two private notices are added to the file.
- Prosecutor's statement made public; President Nawrocki is informed and granted victim status.
A campaign secret emerges
The book that brought the incident to public attention was published weeks before the investigation announcement and has stirred political debate in Poland. It recounts behind-the-scenes moments from the 2025 campaign that had not previously been reported. Nawrocki's description of the episode, relayed in the interview, provided the first public account of what happened after the Ząbkowice Śląskie rally.
The investigation is now tasked with determining whether the substance was administered deliberately, what that substance was, and by what method it was delivered. As of the prosecutor's 29 July statement, both the substance and the manner of its administration remain unknown.
