Polish presidential officials have been called to testify as prosecutors intensify an investigation into the non-swearing-in of Constitutional Tribunal judges.
Presidential Staff Summoned in Tribunal Judge Investigation
Presidential Chief of Staff Zbigniew Bogucki announced Wednesday he received a summons to testify as a witness regarding President Karol Nawrocki’s refusal to administer the oath of office to four Constitutional Tribunal judges. Presidential Cabinet Chief Paweł Szefernaker added that other KPRP officials also received summonses.
Summonses Issued to Key Presidential Ministers
Presidential Chief of Staff Zbigniew Bogucki announced Wednesday he received a summons to testify as a witness regarding President Karol Nawrocki’s refusal to administer the oath of office to four Constitutional Tribunal judges. Presidential Cabinet Chief Paweł Szefernaker added that other KPRP officials also received summonses.
Bogucki’s Statement on the Summons
“I just received a summons as a witness in a case, as I understand it, of aiding and abetting the failure to fulfill the obligation to accept the oath of office by the President,” Bogucki wrote in a post on X.
Investigation into Facilitating Non-Swearing-In
Last week, the National Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into facilitating President Nawrocki’s refusal to administer the oath of office to four Constitutional Tribunal judges and preventing them from ruling in the Tribunal.
Basis of Investigation and Prosecutor Żurek’s Role
According to Prosecutor General’s spokesperson, prosecutor Anna Adamiak, the investigation was initiated based on evidence obtained during a verification procedure conducted following a directive from Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek on April 13th, and a criminal complaint filed by Constitutional Tribunal judges Magdalena Bentkowska and Dariusz Szostek.
Żurek’s Directive Regarding Presidential Staff
Waldemar Żurek stated he instructed the prosecutor’s office to initiate criminal proceedings, including against employees of the President’s Chancellery who advised President Karol Nawrocki not to administer the oath of office to judges selected by the Sejm. He assessed that the President, as well as officials, employees, and other advisors working in his chancellery, may have failed to fulfill their duties.
Bogucki’s Sharp Criticism
Bogucki assessed in a post on X that “Żurek and company are making a terrible fool of themselves.” He wrote, “Especially since, on the one hand, they claim that the effective oath took place ‘before the President’ during the farce in the Sejm (although the President was not there), and on the other, in criminal proceedings, they claim that the President did not accept the oath.”
Bogucki and Szefernaker Allege Political Motivation
In an interview with Polsat News, Bogucki added that such actions are an attempt to use the prosecutor’s office and services for “current political warfare.” Paweł Szefernaker stated: “Tusk and Żurek are trying to paralyze the work of President Karol Nawrocki’s support staff. We can promise you one thing, you won’t intimidate us!”
Allegations of Labor Rights Violations in the Tribunal
Prosecutor Adamiak confirmed that the investigation concerns two issues. First, it relates to facilitating the President’s “failure to fulfill his obligations.” Second, the proceedings concern individuals performing duties in the Constitutional Tribunal and relate to, among other things, “malicious and persistent violation of labor rights” by failing to provide four Constitutional Tribunal judges with working conditions and remuneration.
Complaint Filed by Newly Appointed Judges
Magdalena Bentkowska and Dariusz Szostek, two judges appointed to the Constitutional Tribunal in March and who took their oaths before the President, also filed a criminal complaint alleging the failure to establish an employment relationship with the remaining four judges.
Background: Oaths in the Sejm and Presidential Palace
On March 13th, the Sejm elected six Constitutional Tribunal judges. Two of them took their oath of office before the President in the Presidential Palace. The situation of the remaining four – Krystian Markiewicz, Maciej Taborowski, Marcin Dziurdy, and Anna Korwin-Piotrowska – remains disputed.
Oath-Taking Ceremony in the Sejm
On April 9th, these four judges took their oath in the Sejm, stating they were doing so “before the President” (in his absence), and submitted notarized oaths to the Chancellery. Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski did not recognize this act as a valid assumption of office. Krystian Markiewicz informed that, together with the other three judges, they submitted a request to enable them to perform their official duties. (PAP)
