Walesa scorns new informant claims

Solidarity hero Lech Walesa brushed off new claims that crucial documents concerning his alleged collaboration with the communist secret services may be stored in the Polish parliament's archives. “I know that if there are any papers on me that are unknown, they are only toilet paper,” he said in an interview with television network TVN.

Comparing the Poland of today with that of the communist era, he said that “the elites dug under me and they're digging under me today.” Marek Opiola, an opposition MP from the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS), has claimed that he was denied access to certain files marked “top secret” in the parliamentary archives. “Do what you want,” Walesa said of attempts to further investigate the matter. “I know what I did and what I brought about.”

Allegations that Walesa was an informant for the secret services during the 1970s (prior to the creation of Solidarity) have dogged him for years. He has always denied the accusations, leading to several court cases. Speaking today of his role in the defeat of communism, he remained unswerving. “You have to remember once and for all, until the end of time, it was me, me, me – I repeat it for the 10 millionth time – I led the battle. I organised it, I led it and I won it. No one else – just to be clear,” he said.

Speaking with commercial broadcaster Radio Zet in a further interview, Walesa denied destroying documents from his secret police file during his term as president of Poland (1990-95). He has always claimed that allegedly incriminating documents were forgeries. Speaking with Radio Zet, Walesa explained that as president, he had asked for the file so that he “could see what counterfeiting looked like,” but that he never destroyed any material, claiming that he “would never do such a number.” (nh)