Polish populist politician found dead, suicide suspected

Polish populist politician found dead, suicide suspected

2011-08-06 03:06:02 GMT+7 (ICT)

WARSAW (BNO NEWS) -- Polish populist politician Andrzej Lepper was found dead on Friday in his office in the country's capital of Warsaw, police said.

According to police, it appeared that Lepper committed suicide by hanging, as reported by the Warsaw Business Journal. The 57-year-old was a former deputy prime minister and leader of the Self Defense party.

No more details were available since police are still investigating the case.

Lepper was one of Poland's most controversial politicians. A pig farmer by trade, he founded the Self Defense party in 1992, which organized strikes, road blockages and other forms of semi-violent protest, and defended farmers' rights.

In recent years, he was involved in a sex scandal in which he was accused of demanding and receiving "benefits of a sexual nature" from a subordinate. His nearly 20-year political career ended in practice in 2007 when he was dismissed from government.

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