Contributed by: Agnieszka Mrozik, Poland National VAW Monitor

On October 3, the Legal Commission of the European Parliament made a decision about stripping Bogdan Golik, a Polish member of the European Parliament, of his immunity. This step was a reaction toward Golik’s rape of a French prostitute.

“I’m glad that I will finally be able to testify and defend myself, which would be impossible in case of my being protected by the immunity” – said Golik. He emphasized that he himself asked the Legal Commission to strip him of the immunity.

The decision by the Commission will need to be confirmed by the entire European Parliament at the nearest session in October.

As the Legal Commission decided unanimously about the case, one may be sure that stripping the Polish MP of his immunity will be just a formality.

Bogdan Golik was a member of the Self-Defense, which appointed him as the party’s candidate to the European Parliament. Now, he is a member of the parliamentary fraction of the European Socialists.

In December 2005, the French prostitute reported to the Belgian prosecutor’s office that she had been raped by Golik. According to the law, Golik was protected by the immunity, which prevented him from being prosecuted.

In September 2006, the Belgian prosecutor’s office asked the European Parliament to strip Golik of his immunity in order to examine him.

Golik said that it was his lawyers’ initiative to ask in May 2006 that the prosecutor’s office to strip him of his immunity in order to enable him to testify.

“I believe that this case will end up positively, as all this is one big lie” – he added.

Compiled from: Gwalt na prostytutce – Golik bez immunitetu, Onet.pl, last access October 19, 2006; unofficial translation by Agnieszka Mrozik