Scion of Polish nobility jailed in property restitution case

A Warsaw court has confirmed the arrest order for a Polish businessman who is a descendant of one of Poland’s aristocratic families

WARSAW, Poland -- A Warsaw court on Tuesday confirmed the arrest order for a Polish businessman who is a descendant of one of Poland's aristocratic families, in a case highlighting the problems still resulting from the communist regime's seizure of private property after World War II.

Michal Sobanski, a 46-year-old businessman, has been held in isolation in a prison in the western Polish city of Wroclaw since June. The Appeals Court in Warsaw rejected his lawyers' appeal against the temporary arrest, which means Sobanski must remain jailed until Dec. 20, while the investigation continues. The prosecutors argued that only isolation can guarantee there will be no influencing of witnesses.

Prosecutors in Wroclaw say they have charged Sobanski with committing crimes relating to property valued at 44 million zlotys ($11 million) while he acted as an “intermediary” for his clients in exchange for a “commission.” The charges do not relate to any of the Sobanski family's property, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors told The Associated Press.

Poland is the only country in Central Europe that has no legislation to regulate the return of seized property to its pre-World War II owners or their inheritors. Instead, the original owners and their inheritors have been told to make their claims through Poland’s courts.