Krakow Regional Court received an expert opinion regarding the 2006 death of Jerzy Ziobro, father of former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, potentially paving the way for a trial in June 2026.
Initial Investigation and Accusations
Jerzy Ziobro was treated at the University Hospital UJ in Krakow from June 22, 2006, and died on July 2, 2006. The prosecutor’s office twice dismissed the investigation into his death. In 2011, the family filed a private indictment against Prof. Jacek D. (head of the Cardiology Clinic), Prof. Dariusz D. (deputy head of the Hemodynamics Laboratory), Katarzyna S. (on-duty doctor), and Andrzej K. (monitoring ward coordinator).
The doctors were accused of endangering the patient’s life, leading to his death on July 2, 2006, through improper diagnosis and treatment, specifically performing coronary angioplasty instead of cardiac surgery, failing to consult a cardiac surgeon, and administering incorrect pharmacological treatment. The accused denied the charges.
Previous Court Ruling and Appeal
The District Court for Krakow-Śródmieście acquitted the four doctors in 2016. The court found no evidence linking the doctors’ actions to the patient’s death, stating that any complications were within the accepted risk range of the treatment.
The public prosecutor and private accusers appealed the verdict. The trial before the regional court began in April 2018.
New Expert Opinion and Trial Timeline
In October 2022, the court requested a supplementary expert opinion from the University Forensic Medicine Center in Lausanne. The Krakow Regional Court received the expert opinion electronically on April 29th. Judge Maciej Czajka stated the court awaits the original opinion’s translation into Polish before disclosing its findings.
A trial date is planned, potentially as early as June 2026, depending on the opinion’s content and the parties’ positions.
Investigation into Zbigniew Ziobro’s Conduct
In January 2025, a team of prosecutors was established within the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Gdańsk to investigate whether former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro exceeded his authority in connection with the legal proceedings regarding his father’s death. His successor, Adam Bodnar, stated in July of last year that the Polish prosecutor’s office was engaged in a private case on an unprecedented scale between 2016-2023.
Investigators are currently analyzing 981 volumes of case files across 15 cases conducted throughout Poland.
