Karol Nawrocki, a presidential candidate of the radical right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, has sued Onet, a news website, for a report that alleged Nawrocki used to arrange prostitutes for guests at the Grand Hotel in Sopot while working as a security guard there, his campaign said on May 27.

The Onet report appeared on May 26, causing a countrywide furore. Nawrocki is neck and neck with the liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski in the polls just days ahead of the decisive run-off vote in the presidential election on June 1. The two rivals emerged top of the pack of 13 candidates in the first round of the vote on May 18.

A new poll by Opinia24 for RMF FM, a broadcaster, showed, however, that the new scandal has had little impact on Nawrocki’s standings. The right-winger came in at 45.9% in the poll, just 1.6pp behind Trzaskowski at 47.6%. That is well within a typical poll’s margin of error, indicating the actual election result may go either way.

Nawrocki’s presidential bid has weathered other problematic episodes from his past without a sustained drop in poll ratings. Media have reported at length on Nawrocki’s alleged takeover of an apartment from an elderly man, his participation in a football hooligans’ brawl when he was 26, or apparent heavy use of snus, a nicotine dose applied on the gum.

Following the nicotine sensation (Nawrocki claims he is using nicotine pouches, not snus, which is illegal in Poland), the PiS-backed candidate also took a drug test – in which he came out clean – and urged Trzaskowski to do the same.

“I don’t have a problem, Nawrocki has a problem,” Trzaskowski told a support rally in response.

The Onet report included statements from former security colleagues who said Nawrocki had suggested they participate in a scheme providing sex workers to guests, offering them a share of the profits. They said they were prepared to testify in court but had requested anonymity due to safety concerns.

Nawrocki went for a civil lawsuit against Onet and also submitted a private criminal complaint, his campaign said. 

The lawsuit is likely to take months to conclude, Critics have said that a trial in the so-called election mode – a special way of court proceedings for an election campaign – would require a court decision within 24 hours, according to Polish law. 

Nawrocki’s campaign said, however, that it was not clear if a press publication was fit for a court review under the 24-hour regime and if the court dismissed it on formal grounds, it would appear as if Nawrocki lost and the allegations were true.

“The text that appeared on the Onet website and subsequent articles published in the media had little to do with journalistic integrity and more to do with defamation and lies,” said Andrzej Śliwka, an MP for PiS and Nawrocki’s campaign staffer, Onet reported.

Onet reporting, as well as reports in other media over recent months, has led to questioning Nawrocki’s being fit for office, where he would handle sensitive and classified information of national and international importance.

The run-off’s outcome will reshape the future of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government. Tusk has struggled to advance reforms due to obstruction from outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally. He has promised to move on quickly if Trzaskowski is elected.

A Nawrocki victory would enable PiS to continue blocking Tusk’s agenda until the next parliamentary election in 2027 when the party hopes to reclaim power by portraying Tusk as ineffective.