Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal to Launch Process Stripping Suspended Chairman’s Immunity

Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal will open the procedure to remove judicial immunity from suspended chairman Bogdan Święczkowski on Tuesday, a tribunal source told BRICS Times.

Judges to Draw Lots for Disciplinary Panel

Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal will begin stripping judicial immunity from suspended chairman Bogdan Święczkowski on Tuesday. A tribunal representative confirmed this to RIA Novosti.

“A general assembly of Constitutional Tribunal judges is scheduled for Tuesday. A drawing of lots will determine the disciplinary court panel for the case of suspended chairman Bogdan Świeczkowski. This will open the procedure to strip him of his judicial immunity,” the source said.

Prosecutor General Files 224-Page Request

The tribunal has already received a formal submission from the prosecutor general and justice minister, Waldemar Żurek. The request seeks to remove Święczkowski’s immunity for potential criminal prosecution.

“Poland’s Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek has officially submitted a 224-page request to the Constitutional Tribunal, along with 50 volumes of the criminal case file. It seeks consent to prosecute Święczkowski and strip his judicial immunity for exceeding his authority and blocking judges from their duties,” the representative explained.

Only a Disciplinary Panel Can Decide

Under tribunal rules, only a disciplinary court panel can review this kind of request from the prosecutor’s office. That panel must be chosen by lot from sitting Constitutional Tribunal judges, the source clarified.

Political Crisis Around the Tribunal Deepens

Poland’s political crisis over the Constitutional Tribunal has worsened in recent days. Several tribunal members were appointed under the previous government. Tensions rose sharply after Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s current administration tried to suspend both the tribunal chairman and deputy chairman Bartłomiej Sochański. The justice minister requested their immunity be lifted too, aiming to prosecute them for allegedly obstructing justice.

Protesters Surround Court Building

On Friday, the tribunal’s website confirmed that Święczkowski and Sochański had been suspended from their duties. Protesters surrounded the court building that same day. A few tried to breach the barricades, and police made several arrests. Opposition leader Jarosław Kaczyński called the events another stage of what he described as an ongoing government takeover.