In the course of the investigation into the Oder, 228 witnesses have been questioned and 12 visual inspections with the participation of experts have been carried out on various sections of the Oder. “It is not clear from the work done so far what the cause of the mass fish die-off was”, said Deputy Attorney General Krzysztof Sierak on Wednesday.
During a joint press conference with the Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro, Krzysztof Sierak informed the public that since the initiation of the investigation concerning the pollution of the Oder River, i.e. from 12 August until now, the prosecutors have focused on securing evidence for the criminal proceedings.
“During these four days, 228 witnesses were questioned, 12 site inspections were carried out, including in various sections of the Oder River with the participation of experts, and seven orders were issued for the appointment of experts of various specialities, including environmental protection and waste management, IT, toxicology”, reported the Deputy Prosecutor General.
As part of the investigation, the prosecutor’s office issued 24 orders to demand the surrender of items from a number of institutions and authorities, and all possible recorders and precautionary monitors were secured.
“All known institutions and research entities have been requested to hand over copies of all documentation in connection with the testing of water samples in July this year as part of the evidence, this has also been included in the documentation produced to date by the individual Provincial Inspectors of Environmental Protection”, Sierak added.
He informed that currently the results of tests of samples taken by the Voivodeship Inspectorates of Environmental Protection are being obtained and the results of inspections carried out in plants located along the Odra riverbank are also being attached.
“From the activities performed so far during the investigation, at this stage, it is not clear what was the cause of the chemical changes in the water and at the same time the cause of the mass deaths of fish”, stated the deputy head of the prosecutor’s office.
Arkadiusz Słomczyński