General Jaruzelski’s villa for PLN 43,000. zloty? The prosecutor’s office discontinued the investigation

General Wojciech Jaruzelski purchased the Warsaw villa on Ikara Street from the city for an almost symbolic amount of PLN 42,992.67. As pointed out, this was possible thanks to a huge discount from the Mokotów District Management Board, which ranged from 73 to 95 percent of the property value. As the prosecutor’s office explained, the officials did not commit a crime, they acted within the law, and all the conditions necessary for such a discount were met. It was also explained that 80 similar decisions were issued in 2012. In the justification for the decision, it was also noted that the Jaruzelski family first acquired the right of perpetual usufruct from the State Treasury.

The villa belonged to the Przedpełski family, who purchased it in 1938. After the war, it was taken away from them by Bierut’s decree. The heirs failed to recover their property. In 1973, the property was taken over by the then Minister of Defense, Wojciech Jaruzelski. Years later, the matter of formally handing over the villa to Jaruzelski was publicized by a member of the PiS Councilors’ Club, Jacek Ozdoba.

In August 2017, Minister Antoni Macierewicz received documents regarding the villa from the Military Historical Office. They showed that in 1972 the villa was taken over by the Military Capital Residential Buildings Authority.

There are regulations in Poland that, in certain cases, allow you to obtain a discount on the fee for transforming perpetual usufruct into real estate ownership. Their amount may be further increased by the competent authorities.