Poland’s governing Civic Coalition has suspended MP Michał Kołodziejczak, a former deputy agriculture minister, from its parliamentary group after two women who previously worked with him accused him of aggression, intimidation and physical violence. He denies the allegations, describing them as defamatory.
The accusations were published on Friday, 9 October, in an investigation by Polish media outlet Kanał Zero. They also include claims concerning drug use. Zbigniew Konwiński, who chairs the Civic Coalition parliamentary group in the Sejm, Poland’s lower house of parliament, announced the suspension that evening.
The decision represents an immediate political consequence for Kołodziejczak, a prominent farmers’ campaigner who entered parliament in 2023 and later served in Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government. It does not remove him from the Sejm. The allegations have not been established by a court, and no criminal conviction or formal finding of misconduct has been reported.
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Civic Coalition, led by Tusk’s Civic Platform, is the largest grouping in Poland’s governing parliamentary alliance.
Two former colleagues describe intimidation and violence
The allegations come from an investigation by journalist Monika Krześniak. Kanał Zero interviewed two women who previously worked with Kołodziejczak. In its original report, the women described what they say were repeated episodes of aggression, humiliation, verbal abuse and threats.
One woman said her professional relationship with Kołodziejczak became a personal and intimate one. She said his behaviour then grew increasingly aggressive and unpredictable, leaving her feeling intimidated and unsafe. She also alleged that he struck her once and later described the incident as accidental.
The second woman described her time working with him during his leadership of Agrounia, a farmers’ protest movement. She alleged that he regularly insulted and humiliated her and used his authority over her employment to pressure her.
According to her account, he once threw a can near her during an argument and later made a threatening remark while holding a knife.
The events are said to have happened at different times, both before and after Kołodziejczak entered national politics. The women’s accounts have not been independently established as findings of fact.
Claims involving a suspected drug
One allegation concerns an unidentified substance that Kołodziejczak allegedly described as cocaine.
One of the women told Kanał Zero that he repeatedly urged her to take it despite her initial refusals. She said she eventually did and felt seriously unwell afterwards. She acknowledged that she did not know what the substance actually contained and could not confirm that it was cocaine.
Another former colleague alleged that she had witnessed him taking drugs. These claims were also described in Polish Radio’s report on the investigation.
Kanał Zero also published excerpts of recorded conversations involving the politician and one of the women. The outlet presented the recordings as supporting material for its investigation, including claims concerning their earlier relationship and alleged pressure involving substances.
However, publishing recordings does not by itself establish that the alleged misconduct occurred. The recordings also do not establish the identity of any substance or prove that a drug-related offence was committed.
Kołodziejczak denies the accusations
Kołodziejczak has rejected the allegations.
A Kanał Zero journalist attempted to question him about the women’s accounts in a corridor at the Sejm. According to the outlet, he did not provide detailed responses to the individual allegations and instead dismissed them as pomówienia, a Polish term referring to false or defamatory accusations.
Other Polish media, including Onet in its coverage of the investigation, reported his denial.
As of 10 October, Poland-24 had not independently confirmed that prosecutors had opened a criminal investigation or that formal charges had been brought against the politician.
Civic Coalition suspends him from its parliamentary group
Konwiński announced the suspension on the social network X on Friday evening. He said the group expected the appropriate authorities to examine the media reports.
In Poland, parliamentary groups are formally organised as clubs of MPs. The decision suspends Kołodziejczak’s membership rights within Civic Coalition’s parliamentary club, rather than removing him from parliament.
Dorota Łoboda, the group’s spokeswoman, also confirmed the decision.
In a statement reported by Polish Radio 24, she said Civic Coalition condemned the behaviour described in the published material, rejected violence and expressed solidarity with the women.
The statements confirm that Civic Coalition has taken internal disciplinary action in response to the reports. They do not establish that the party has independently verified the allegations.
The group has not announced how long the suspension will last or whether further disciplinary measures will follow.
Kołodziejczak retains his seat as an elected member of the Sejm.
Who is Michał Kołodziejczak?
Kołodziejczak became nationally known as a farmer and protest organiser. He helped found Agrounia, a movement that staged demonstrations over agricultural prices, imports and government policies affecting farmers.
His confrontational campaigning style attracted considerable media attention and helped him build a following among rural voters.
Ahead of the 2023 parliamentary election, he joined the Civic Coalition electoral list. He won a seat representing the Konin constituency in central-western Poland.
The Sejm’s official parliamentary register confirms that he was elected on 15 October 2023 and took his parliamentary oath the following month.
After Tusk’s government took office in December 2023, Kołodziejczak became deputy minister of agriculture and rural development.
He left the government in June 2025, returning to the role of a backbench MP.
His political career has therefore taken him from grassroots agricultural protests to membership of Poland’s governing parliamentary alliance.
What happens next?
The main unresolved question is whether the allegations will lead to a formal investigation by law enforcement.
Civic Coalition has called on the appropriate authorities to examine the reports, but that request is not equivalent to a criminal investigation. Any proceedings would need to establish the facts independently of the political reaction and media coverage.
The parliamentary group must also decide whether Kołodziejczak’s suspension will remain in place and whether further internal action is warranted.
The case has also drawn attention to the treatment of people working for political figures, particularly where professional relationships involve significant differences in authority and influence.
For Civic Coalition, the immediate decision has been to suspend a former government minister from its parliamentary group while the allegations remain unresolved.
Kołodziejczak continues to deny wrongdoing, and the claims against him have not been established by a court.
