A tracking device installed in Polish President Andrzej Duda's car may have been planted by Russian special services, Polish outlet Rzeczpospolita reported on Oct. 27.
Earlier this week, local media reported that a GPS locator was found in a car belonging to the president's motorcade this summer. Polish State Protection Service (SOP) officers believe the vehicle could have been bugged for months prior to the discovery, and that it was likely bugged during Duda's visit to Ukraine in June.
The reports said the car was part of the presidential convoy but was not used to transport Duda himself.
Contrary to some earlier accounts, Rzeczpospolita reported on Oct. 27 that the tracker was not found by SOP officers, but by border guards who inspected the vehicle at the Katowice-Pyrzowice airport.
The Polish National Prosecutor's Office is investigating the incident and has declined to comment on the matter publicly.
According to Rzeczpospolita, Duda's June visit to Ukraine coincided with the discovery of the tracker. Sources connected to the SOP told Rzeczpospolita that some evidence pointed east.
"If the eastern thread is confirmed in the investigation, it means that the Russians and their services installed it, for example. If this were true, we would have an extremely dangerous situation," the source said.
Another anonymous source in the president's office offered a potential alternative. The source told journalists that years ago, the government installed tracking devices in vehicles used by lower-level employees.
"The idea was to save money and control the use of cars for purely business purposes. Maybe in this case the truth will turn out to be trivial," the source said.
Sławomir Sierakowski
(Updated: )
