Polish police entered the KRS building on Wednesday after prosecutors requested action, while the Justice Minister clarified they were targeting the Disciplinary Department for judges.
KRS Comments on Police Entry
Polish police entered the KRS building on Wednesday, January 21, according to RadioZET. The Minister of Justice and General Prosecutor stated that officers did not enter the KRS itself but the seat of the Disciplinary Officer for Judges of Common Courts, which is located in the same building. The decision to involve police was made by the prosecutor’s office.
The KRS published a comment on social media regarding these events. “Could it be for the disciplinary files of judges? Is this the first effect of today’s presentation of the rule of law bill in the Sejm by Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek?” reads the post on X.
Rule of Law Bill in Sejm
Members of Parliament are working on the first day of the Sejm session on the government’s rule of law bill. It aims to regulate the status of judges appointed with the participation of the KRS operating after 2018. The goal is to ensure that parties to proceedings have a guarantee of their case being heard by an independent and impartial court.
The first reading of a government bill on the functioning of the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS) will also take place. According to it, the election of 15 judge-members of the KRS will be conducted by judges of all levels and types of courts. Elections are to be organized by the National Electoral Commission.
“The purpose of this law is to regulate the status of judges appointed with the participation of the neo-KRS,” explained Minister Żurek on the plenary floor. “Consequently, guaranteeing participants in court proceedings the full realization of the right to have their case heard by an independent, impartial, properly appointed court, and the principle of legal certainty in the durability of court judgments.”
In the opinion of the head of the ministry, a Polish citizen does not have access to this today. “He goes to court, pays a lawyer, pays court fees, and at the end, it turns out that the judgment can be annulled. And the Polish taxpayer pays for that too. This is a pathological situation and we must fix it. We must fix it and we must fix it together with the president. I would like the president to look into this project,” he said.
Police Statement
The Metropolitan Police published a statement regarding Wednesday’s actions. “On the order of the National Prosecutor’s Office, officers of the Metropolitan Police Commission, in the presence of prosecutors, entered the seat of the National Council of the Judiciary to carry out procedural activities provided for in the Code of Criminal Procedure,” reads the statement.
It was explained that “the actions were taken on the basis of a prosecutor’s decision.” “Police activities are carried out exclusively within the scope defined by the prosecutor and under his supervision. They are conducted in a manner as least burdensome as possible for the functioning of the institution,” it was assured. The police did not provide more details.