The request to Parliament

On Thursday, 15 October 2026, Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek sent European Parliament President Roberta Metsola a request to lift the immunity of MEP Daniel Obajtek, a PiS member and former Orlen president. The filing also seeks consent to detain him, bring him in by force and place him in temporary custody. Prosecutors say the request and its annexes run to more than 300 pages. Żurek framed the case as unlawful price cutting at Orlen in autumn 2023, shortly before parliamentary elections. Prosecutors say much of the justification is classified, because it contains detailed information about Orlen's operations that could harm the company and the state's economic security.

What prosecutors allege

According to prosecutors, Obajtek directed subordinates to cut wholesale and retail prices without assessing the fuel market, so that between 1 and 15 October 2023 a litre would cost no more than 5.99 zł at Orlen stations. The practice reportedly ran from August to November 2023. Prosecutors put the damage to Orlen at more than 4.1 billion zł and tie the price cuts to fuel shortages at more than 600 stations, where drivers saw notices blaming broken pumps. The alleged offence is mismanagement on a large scale, which oko.press reports carries a sentence of five to 25 years in prison.

At Thursday's press conference Żurek put the central claim in one sentence:

“Daniel Obajtek directed this entire scheme.”

Grounds and the road ahead

Prusing the detention request, prosecutors cite a risk of collusion, while Żurek also pointed to flight risk and the prospect of a heavy sentence. He argued that the head of a group, where joint or managerial perpetration applies, is usually the most influential person, and he called the case 'very extensive'. Even if Parliament lifts immunity, a Polish court would still have to agree to the detention and arrest, oko.press reports. Parliamentary consent is also needed before the former Orlen president can be charged, RMF FM reported.

An official at the European Parliament told RMF FM that the procedure could take several months and did not expect it to be announced at the start of the plenary session on Monday, 19 October. The process begins when Metsola announces the request in plenary, usually on the first day. The Legal Affairs Committee then hears the MEP and drafts a recommendation before the full Parliament votes. Parliament has already lifted Obajtek's immunity three times, in separate cases such as alleged surveillance of the opposition, so this would be the fourth request.

Reactions

Obajtek rejected the accusations and answered the prosecutors' decision on X with these words:

“If they want to detain me for Poles filling up below 6 zloty, then go ahead, provided Donald Tusk, who promised fuel at 5.19, sits in the cell too.”

Jarosław Kaczyński, speaking at a PiS convention in Kraków, linked the case to fuel prices set while Obajtek ran Orlen and said the proceedings were a political use of state institutions. He said several of Obajtek's closest associates were already in pre-trial detention for the same reason, which he called 'a great scandal'. He added:

“This man is supposed to end up in prison.”

Mariusz Błaszczak, PiS deputy chairman, argued that Obajtek was being pursued for Poles filling up cheaply, contrasted this with Tusk's promised 5.19 zł a litre, and summed up the case as 'absurdity chasing absurdity'. naTemat reported that Obajtek has set up a property company led by his 27-year-old son, and that Orlen intends to sue him.