Mazur, Edward

He was most famous internationally for successfully fighting a high-profile U.S. federal extradition battle in Chicago after Polish authorities accused him of orchestrating the 1998 murder of Polish National Police Chief General Marek Papała—charges that were completely dropped in 2014 due to a total lack of credible evidence.

Business and Philanthropy

• Immigration & Education: Mazur immigrated to the United States from Poland in 1962, settled in Chicago, and graduated with an electrical engineering degree from the Chicago Technical College.
• Corporate & Trade Career: He worked as an engineer and corporate executive for major American firms like Cargill International and John Deere & Co., focusing heavily on building agricultural and industrial markets in Central Europe after the fall of communism. [1, 2]
• Yogurt Empire: He co-founded Bakoma S.A., which grew into one of the largest yogurt corporations in Poland, netting him millions when his shares were eventually sold to the Dannon Company.
• Chicago Community: He was deeply involved in the local Polish-American diaspora, serving as the president of Chicago's Wisla Social Athletic/Soccer Club. [1, 2]

The Extradition Case

• The Accusation: In 2005, Polish prosecutors accused Mazur of offering underworld hitmen $40,000 to assassinate police chief Marek Papała, who was shot outside his Warsaw apartment complex in 1998.
• Chicago Arrest: Following an official extradition request from Poland, federal authorities arrested Mazur at his Glenview home in October 2006, holding him without bail in Chicago.
• Stunning Release: In July 2007, U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys blocked the extradition and ordered Mazur’s immediate release from a Chicago jail. The judge explicitly blasted the Polish government's key witness as a "known scoundrel" who fabricated the story, calling the trial tactics used by Polish prosecutors "shocking and offensive".
• Case Dismissal: In August 2014, the Polish prosecution officially closed its 16-year investigation against Mazur and dropped all lingering charges, formally citing a complete lack of evidence.

He passed away on May 29, 2023, at the age of 76 in Glenview, Illinois.