8.   On 4 November 1993 the Szczecin Regional Prosecutor charged the applicant with the offence of obtaining 71,000,000,000 PLZ under false pretences. On the same date the prosecutor issued a warrant of arrest against the applicant.  The applicant was arrested on 6 November 1993 and on 9 November 1993 the Szczecin Regional Prosecutor detained him on remand for three months.  On 16 November 1993 the applicant appealed against the detention order. By a decision of 22 November 1993 the Szczecin Regional Court upheld it. 9.  On 13 December 1993 the Szczecin Regional Prosecutor prolonged the investigations. On 28 January 1994 the Szczecin Regional Court prolonged the applicant’s detention until 6 May 1994. The court observed that the charges laid against him were sufficiently substantiated and that extensive evidence had still to be taken in the case. There were serious grounds for believing that the applicant, if he were to be released, would go into hiding. 10.  On 26 April 1994 the Szczecin Regional Prosecutor decided to prolong the investigations case until 6 September 1994.On 29 April 1994 the Szczecin Regional Court prolonged the applicant’s detention until 6 September 1994. The court considered that further evidence was required to establish all the facts of the case and that the detention was indispensable to ensure the proper conduct of the proceedings. On 15 June 1994 the Poznań Appeal Court upheld this decision. 11.  In May and June 1994 at least thirty one witnesses were heard.  On 9 August 1994 the prosecutor dismissed the requests for release submitted by the applicant, his wife and his counsel in June and July 1994. On 9 September 1994 the Appeal Prosecutor upheld this decision. 12.   Between 11 July and 7 September 1994 the prosecuting authorities questioned twenty-four witnesses.  On 22 August 1994 the prosecutor prolonged the investigation of the case. By a decision of 26 August 1994 the Szczecin Regional Court prolonged the applicant’s detention until 6 November 1994, having regard to the necessity of continuing investigative proceedings. In particular, there was a need to carry out certain specific examinations and to examine a number of witnesses. On 4 October 994 the Poznań Appeal Court upheld this decision. 13.  On 21 September 1994 the applicant again requested his release, relying on the fact that his wife was in hospital. This request was dismissed on 26 September 1994 on the ground that she was capable of taking care of the children and of carrying on business activities. 14.  On 7 October 1994 the prosecutor prolonged the investigation until 31 May 1995. On 4 November 1994 the Supreme Court further prolonged the applicant’s detention until 6 May 1995, considering that there was sufficient likelihood that he had committed the offence in question and there was a real danger of collusion on his part. The case was complex and multi-layered. It was necessary to pursue further investigative proceedings, including a request for judicial assistance from the prosecution authorities abroad. The court observed that the applicant had relapsed into crime and that he had been sought by a wanted notice at the initial stage of proceedings. 15.  On 14 December 1994 the prosecutor dismissed the applicant’s request for release. Upon the applicant’s appeal the Poznań Appeal Prosecutor upheld the contested decision on 16 January 1995. Between 17 and 27 January 1995 the prosecutor heard fourteen witnesses and appointed one additional expert in building matters. On 16 January 1995 the prosecutor dismissed the applicant’s subsequent request for release. On 3 February 1995 the Poznań Appeal Prosecutor upheld the contested decision. 16.  Between 1 February and 2 March 1995 the prosecutor heard twenty-five witnesses. On 23 February 1995 the prosecutor amended the charges already brought against the applicant.
 17.  On 13 April 1995 the Regional Prosecutor dismissed the applicant’s request for release of 11 April 1995. On 5 May 1995 this decision was upheld by the Poznań Appeal Prosecutor. On 4 May 1995 the Regional Prosecutor closed the investigation and on 5 May 1995 submitted the bill of indictment against the applicant to the Szczecin Regional Court. The bill of indictment numbered 150 pages, listed 111 witnesses to be summoned and requested 716 items of evidence to be disclosed at the hearing. 18.  On 5 May 1995 the applicant requested that the case be referred back for further investigation. On 17 May 1995 the Szczecin Regional Court allowed this request. On 23 May 1995 the Regional Prosecutor appealed against this decision. On 6 July 1995 the Poznań Court of Appeal adjourned the examination of the appeal and requested the Supreme Court to provide an interpretation of the legal issues arising in the case. 19.  On 31 July 1995 the Supreme Court transferred the case-file back to the Poznań Court of Appeal for an examination of the applicant’s requests for release of 1 and 28 June 1995. On 10 August 1995 the Poznań Court of Appeal dismissed these requests. On 22 September 1995 the Supreme Court issued a resolution concerning certain legal questions involved in the case. On 6 October 1995 the Poznań Court of Appeal set aside the decision concerning the referral of the case back for further investigation. 20.  On 3 and 7 November 1995 the applicant again requested to be released and offered a bail bond. On 8 November 1995 the Szczecin Regional Court refused to release him. On 21 December 1995 the Poznań Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal. 21.  On 21 December 1995 the Poznań Court of Appeal decided that the case should be examined by the Koszalin Regional Court. 22.  On 8 and 16 January 1996 the applicant again requested to be released on bail. On 31 January 1996 the Koszalin Regional Court dismissed this request. On 13 March 1996 the Gdańsk Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal.  The applicant’s subsequent requests for release were dismissed on 5 and 29 April 1996. The applicant’s subsequent requests for release of 6 May, 19 and 24 June 1996 were dismissed at the hearing held on 24 June 1996.   At the hearing on 25 June 1996 the applicant again unsuccessfully requested to be released on bail. 23.  On 23 July 1996 the applicant again requested to be released. His request was dismissed on 13 August 1996. On 27, 28 and 29 August 1996 the court held further hearings. The applicant’s request to be released on bail of 29 August 1996 was dismissed on 30 August 1996. The applicant’s appeal was dismissed by the Gdańsk Court of Appeal on 25 September 1996 on the ground that his three-year detention was justified in view of the high probability of his guilt, the seriousness of the charges against him and the risk of a long-term imprisonment. There were no grounds to replace the detention by a more lenient preventive measure given that the bail in the form of real estate, as proposed by the applicant, was of a relatively small value by comparison with the extent of damage caused by him. 24.  On 22 November 1996 the Koszalin Regional Court requested the Supreme Court to prolong the detention until 31 December 1997. The court submitted that the applicant’s detention was justified by the existence of a sufficient probability of his guilt and the gravity of the charges against him. In addition, the amount of the evidence in the case was enormous. The regional court also expressed the opinion that the applicant, if released, would deliberately obstruct the course of the proceedings or go into hiding. 25.  On 28 November 1996 the Koszalin Regional Court dismissed the applicant’s requests for release of 12 November 1996. 26.  On 3 January 1997 the Supreme Court prolonged the applicant’s detention until 31 December 1997. The court relied on the grounds invoked in the previous decisions, i.e. sufficient probability of the applicant’s guilt, a justified fear of his absconding as well as the exceptional complexity of the case and the lack of grounds for release provided by Article 218 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. 27.  On 22 January 1997 the Gdańsk Court of Appeal refused to examine the applicant’s appeal against the decision of 28 November 1996, pointing out that by virtue of a decision of the Supreme Court of 3 January 1997 his detention on remand had been prolonged until 31 December 1997. 28.   On 6 February 1997 the Koszalin Regional Court refused to release the applicant, considering that the grounds on which the detention had been ordered had not ceased to exist. The subsequent hearings in the case were held on 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 March 1997. The applicant offered bail in the form of a mortgage of real estate belonging to a third person. The court dismissed this request and adjourned the hearing until 15 April 1997. 29.  On 15, 16, 17 and 18 April 1997 the court held hearings. The applicant’s requests for release were dismissed at the latter hearing. His subsequent requests were dismissed on 20 April, 19 and 30 May 1997 respectively.  On 23, 23, 25, 26 and 27 June 1997 the court held hearings. At the hearing of 26 June 1997 the applicant requested to be released on bail and under police supervision. On 27 June 1997 the court dismissed that request. In the meantime the court ordered that the applicant be examined by psychiatrists and a psychologist. The opinion on his mental health was submitted to the court on 10 July 1997. 30.  On 16 July 1997 the court again refused to release the applicant. The subsequent hearings in the case were held on 25, 25, 27, 28 and 29 August 1997. At the latter hearing the applicant requested to be released on bail. The court adjourned the examination of the applicant’s request for release and ordered that he should submit within 14 days documents concerning the real estate offered as bail by the third person. 31.  On 9 September 1997 the requested documents were submitted. On 23 September 1997 the Koszalin Regional Court ordered that the applicant be released and remain under police supervision on condition that he paid 20,000 PLN. It considered that bail in the form of real estate, which belonged to a friend of the applicant, was not acceptable in view of the fact that it constituted part of a matrimonial property. 32.  On 19 and 30 September, and 2 and 3 October 1997 the court held further hearings. At the hearing on 29 September 1997 the court again considered the question of the amount of bail offered by the third person. On 30 September and 2 October 1997 the applicant appealed against the decision of 23 September 1997. On 3 October 1997 the applicant once again requested the court to accept a bail bond.
 33.  At the hearing of 3 October 1997 the court dismissed the applicant’s requests for release, emphasising that the time-limit of 14 days for paying the bail sum proposed was still valid and the applicant’s appeals were premature. 34.  Further hearings were held on 27, 28 and 29 October 1997. At the hearings of 29 October and 5 November 1997 the applicant again requested to be released on bail. On 7 November 1997 he appealed against the decision of 3 October 1997. On 18 November 1997 the applicant requested to be released. On 20 November 1997 the Koszalin Regional Court dismissed the applicant’s requests for release and ordered again that his detention be continued. However, the court envisaged the possibility of imposing a less severe preventive measure provided that the applicant paid 20,000 PLN as bail. 35.  On 28 November 1997 the applicant again requested to be released under police supervision. On the same day he appealed against the decision of 20 November 1997. On 1 December 1997 the Koszalin Regional Court ordered that the applicant be released on condition that he paid 15,000 PLN. The court noted that police supervision alone was not a sufficient preventive measure in the circumstances of the case. Since the applicant did not pay the bail, his detention on remand continued. 36.   At the hearing on 18 December 1997, the Koszalin Regional Court requested the Supreme Court to extend the applicant’s detention on remand until 30 June 1998. The court found that the applicant’s request to have certain witnesses heard and some additional expert opinions taken would cause a delay in the final stage of the proceedings. Furthermore, there was a reasonable risk that the applicant, if released, would deliberately obstruct the proper course of the proceedings or go into hiding. The court refused to impose police supervision on the applicant, offering again the possibility of granting bail in the sum of 15,000 PLN. 37.  By virtue of the Supreme Court decision of 20 January 1998 the applicant’s detention was prolonged until 30 June 1998. On 23 January 1998 the Koszalin Regional Court dismissed the applicant’s request for release of 20 January 1998, finding that the circumstances justifying the applicant’s detention had not ceased to exist. Besides, the applicant had not availed himself of the possibility of paying bail in the amount of PLN 15,000 given to him by the court on 1 December 1997. 38. The applicant’s subsequent requests for release were dismissed on 12, 23 February and 3 March 1998. In its decision of 23 February 1998 the court observed that more time was required in order to assess new evidence submitted by the applicant and that there was a serious threat that the applicant might obstruct and prolong the proceedings. In its decision of 3 March 1998 the court referred to the reasoning of the previous decisions. 39.  Further hearings were held on 25 and 16 May 1998. At the latter hearing the applicant again requested to be released on bail in the amount of 15,000 PLN. The court dismissed this request at the same date. The applicant’s subsequent request for release of 5 June 1998 was dismissed on 19 June 1998. 40.  The last hearing in the case was held on 26 June 1998. On the latter date the court decided to release the applicant. On 29 June 1998 the court delivered judgment in the case and sentenced the applicant to six and a half years imprisonment.