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A top military officer has reportedly been removed from duty and four servicemen could face jail terms of up to five years following a mistake last year, when a shipment of munitions intended for a munitions storage facility in the northern town of Mosty was not completely unloaded upon arrival.
The mines were transported by rail from Hajnowka, on Poland’s eastern border, between July 4-7 last year.
According to reports in Polish media, the dismissal of Major General Artur Kępczyński, head of the Armed Forces Support Inspectorate, was purportedly connected to the incident.
The defence ministry has not provided an explanation for Maj Gen Kępczyński’s dismissal, but it is known that his responsibilities included overseeing the logistics support system.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Polish defence minister.
Lukasz Wawrzyniak, a spokesman for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Poznan, said that the soldiers could face severe repercussions after the hazardous cargo was found in a rail siding near a furniture store warehouse on July 16.
The suspects are four soldiers, the case relates to alleged misconduct involving the unloading of a shipment of munitions,” said Mr. Wawrzyniak. “[They face] up to 5 years of imprisonment.
‘To date, none of the accused have admitted to the allegations.’
The chief executive of Ikea Industry Poland, Malgorzata Dobies-Turulska, stated that the explosives had been seized by the army from a wagon arriving at an Ikea Industry Orla warehouse.
‘She stated the box was picked up by the military police on the same day, and their collaboration was quite seamless.’
Mr. Wawrzyniak confirmed that the army discovered the mines in a secure condition.
He stated the components were safeguarded and forthwith secured by the military.
The chairman assured in a radio interview that the incident was dealt with in line with required security procedures.
‘Civilian oversight was crucial in this case,’ he told the commercial radio station RMF. ‘Security protocols, educational protocols, corrective actions concerning preparation, training, sending relevant inspections and assessing personnel performance.’
Polish media stated that Maj Gen Kępczyński’s response was initiated after an initial failure to report the incident.
Those allegedly responsible for the lost equipment falsified records, listing the correct number of mines in the warehouse while hiding the truth until the lost equipment was discovered.
The Polish army press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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