Final Verdict Issued in Trial of Doctors Over Death of Jerzy Ziobro After Nearly 20 Years
A Polish court has upheld the acquittal of three doctors accused of treatment errors linked to the death of Jerzy Ziobro, while discontinuing proceedings against a fourth due to the statute of...
A Polish court has upheld the acquittal of three doctors accused of treatment errors linked to the death of Jerzy Ziobro, while discontinuing proceedings against a fourth due to the statute of limitations.
Table Of Content
Verdict and Court Rulings
A final and binding verdict has been issued in the case concerning doctors accused of contributing to the death of Jerzy Ziobro, the father of Zbigniew Ziobro. According to the ruling of the Regional Court in Krakow, the acquittal of three doctors accused of treatment errors has been upheld. The court also quashed the verdict against a fourth medical defendant while simultaneously discontinuing the proceedings due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Positions of the Parties
Both the defense attorneys for the medical personnel and the prosecution sought acquittals. During the evidentiary proceedings, the prosecution changed its initial stance and ultimately assessed that it was impossible to unequivocally state whether the medics had committed errors. Meanwhile, the legal representative of the deceased’s widow demanded the annulment of the acquittal and the referral of the case back to the court of first instance, arguing that the expert witnesses at that stage were unobjective and the court lacked impartiality.
Background of the Case and Specific Rulings
The legal dispute involving the doctors of Jerzy Ziobro has lasted for nearly 20 years, beginning after he was treated at the University Hospital in Krakow from June 2006 and died in July of that year. The family maintained that his death was caused by medical fault, leading to a district court acquittal in 2017 that was subsequently appealed by prosecutors. The Regional Court in Krakow upheld the acquittal of the former head of the 2nd Cardiology Clinic and clinical ward professor Jacek D., on-duty physician Katarzyna S., and monitored ward head Andrzej K., while quashing the verdict and discontinuing proceedings against Dariusz D., former ward physician and deputy head of the Hemodynamic Laboratory.