WARSAW, Poland (AP) —
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk called Tuesday for a special meeting of the secret services to discuss alleged Russian and Belarusian infiltration after a Polish judge who had access to sensitive state information defected to Belarus.
Authorities in NATO and European Union member Poland are investigating the judge, Tomasz Szmydt, on suspicions that he was acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence service.
The Polish government said in a statement Tuesday that “Szmydt had constant and direct access to classified information. He has also been in contact with Belarusians for a long time. This situation should be of the utmost concern.”
Tusk announced the meeting of the the Secret Services College for Wednesday, saying it would focus on “alleged Russian and Belarusian influence in the Polish power apparatus."
Earlier Tuesday, a Polish official said bugging devices were found in a room where the Polish Cabinet was scheduled to meet. Another official later said the equipment was part of an old sound system in the building, but the incident underlined anxieties in Poland over warnings that Russia is increasing its activities against the West amid the war in neighboring Ukraine.
“Every day there is new information about various strange events that are directly or indirectly related to the aggressive presence of Russian and Belarusian services in Europe,” Tusk said.
Szmydt fled Poland and then held a news conference Monday in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, saying that he was forced to leave Poland due to disagreements with the current authorities.
The fact that the judge would defect to Belarus, an authoritarian state allied with Russia that has large numbers of political prisoners, has shocked many people in Poland.
Tusk's pro-EU government took power in December vowing to restore democratic norms after eight years of rule by the right-wing Law and Justice party, which carried out changes to the judicial system that gave the party more power over the courts and judicial bodies. The EU said the process eroded the democratic separation of powers.
Szmydt, a judge at the provincial administrative court in Warsaw, gained notoriety in 2019 when he and his then wife engaged in an online smear campaign against judges critical of the judicial changes made by Law and Justice.
Szmydt said he resigned because he felt persecuted by the new authorities. He said he was protesting “against the unfair and harmful policy pursued by the authorities of the Republic of Poland towards the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation.”
Some of Tusk's opponents accused him of trying to implicate the current political opposition in the actions of the judge.
Stanisław Żaryn, an advisor to President Andrzej Duda who is an opponent of Tusk’s government, called Szmydt a “traitor” on said on X that the debate around him has “turned into a propaganda game" about which political camp he should be associated with.
“I pay attention to security issues. This traitor is another signal that Poland is in the crosshairs of Russia’s services,” said Żaryn, who was a spokesman for the security services under the past government led by Law and Justice.
Tusk suggested Szmydt's case could be linked to foreign country's stepping up hostile actions in connection with the elections June 6-9 for the European Parliament.
FILE - Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski addresses reporters at the Foreign Ministry in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday Feb. 14, 2024. Polish prosecutors opened an investigation Monday, May 6, after a Polish judge fled to the autocratic state of Belarus and asked for protection there. Sikorski described the judge as a traitor. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)
It didn't take Nelly Korda long to put another tournament within her grasp.
Korda shot a 7-under 65 Saturday and will take a two-stroke lead over Hannah Green into the final round of the Mizuho Americas Open in a bid to win for the sixth time in her last seven events on the LPGA Tour.
“Yeah, I think I’ve always had this mentality,” Korda said of putting the pedal to metal every time she plays. "I’ve always given it a 100%. I’ve looked up to great athletes like (Rafeal) Nadal and Roger Federer, which the blend of the two I hope I have. The grace that Federer has and the fight that Nadal has.
“So just having people that I’ve looked up to and I’ve seen and I’ve admired, I hope that’s something I carry on to the golf course,” the world's No. 1-ranked player added.
After seeing Rose Zhang snap her tour record-tying five tournament winning streak in the Cognizant Founders Cup last week, Korda has gotten better every round in posting a three-round 13-under 203 total at scenic Liberty National at Jersey City, New Jersey. She started with a 70 and followed that with a 68 and now the 65.
Green, whose two wins make her the only other multiple winner on tour this year, took advantage of the calm and dry morning conditions and made a major move, shooting an event-record 63. It was one shot better than the best round last year, the first year of the event.
“I still want to get into the top 5 in the world now that I got into the top 10," Green said. "Yeah, just want to keep pushing, not get too ahead of myself.”
Korda and Green, who are ranked 1-2 in the Rolex player of the year standings, will be in the final grouping Sunday on the course that has the New York City skyline, the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty for a backdrop.
Neither player had a bogey Saturday, but they did combine for 16 birdies. Korda played in the afternoon when the weather got a little chillier and windier and there was a light rain for the final nine holes. She took the lead with a birdie on 15, just missed an eagle on the driveable 16th and then missed two birdie putts on the final two holes.
She walked off the course shaking her head.
“The first nine the wind was down, it was sunny, it was warm,” Korda said. “By the time we got near to the water on the back nine the wind started picking up and it started drizzling. It was the weather we kind of played in the first day, so made sure to stay warm and to take it a shot at a time.”
They won't have to worry about Zhang. The defending champion had to withdraw early in the first round with an illness. Overall, seven players withdrew with various illnesses in the first two days.
Rookie Gabriela Ruffels of Australia, who finished third last week, was tied for third at 10 under with Ayaka Furue of Japan, who birdied the final hole.
Jennifer Kupcho, who lost this event last year in a playoff with Zhang, was at 9 under along with Sophia Popov of Germany and Pajaree Anannarukarn of the Phillipines. Kupcho and Popov had 67s, one more than Anannarukarn.
There was a large group at 8 under, including first-round leader So Mi Lee, the South Korean alternate who got into the event an hour before her tee time.
Third-round leader Atthaya Thitikul, who recently returned from a thumb injury, struggled and had a 74 and was in a group at 7 under, six shots behind Korda.
Green hit 17 greens despite missing a couple of fairways.
“Actually hit it really close, so it was really nice to actually not have to stress about trying to make pars today,” the 27-year old said. “But it did feel like autopilot for a little bit there, which is very nice. So, yeah, now I put myself hopefully in contention for Sunday.”
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Nelly Korda lines up a shot on the 14th green during the first round of the Mizuho Americas Open golf tournament, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Gabriela Ruffels, of Australia, hits a shot on the first hole during the final round of the LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup golf tournament, Sunday, May 12, 2024, in Clifton, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Hannah Green, of Australia, hits off the ninth tee during the first round of the Mizuho Americas Open golf tournament, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Nelly Korda looks after her shot off the 14th tee during the first round of the Mizuho Americas Open golf tournament, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
