Prime Minister Donald Tusk admitted that signing a paper concerning the ultimate Court justice Krzysztof Wesołowski was a mistake. president Andrzej Duda appointed justice Wesołowski to chair the assembly of judges of the civilian Chamber of the ultimate Court, which is to appoint candidates for the president of this Chamber.
This paper required a countersignate of the Prime Minister, what Tusk did and was subsequently published in the Polish Monitor. This decision sparked controversy and criticism from parts of the legal community.
Controversies Around “Neo-Judge” by Krzysztof Wesołowski
Critics claim that justice Krzysztof Wesołowski was elected in a procedure involving the National Judicial Council, which many lawyers consider politicized and unconstitutional. Tusk called the full situation “a mistake that should not have happened”, explaining that there was no information available that it was the alleged “neo-judge”.
The Prime Minister stressed that he took on the political consequences of this event, while ensuring that the akin situation would not happen again in the future.
The function of Minister Berk and the consequences
The Prime Minister indicated that Minister Maciej Berek was liable for the circulation of papers at the Prime Minister's office. Despite his mistake, the minister will not lose his position. Tusk argued that the government with Maciej Berk at the head is “far better than without”.
The Prime Minister added that the full situation is already adequate punishment for the minister, and the signature itself did not have much applicable consequences, as most of the alleged "neo-judges" would carry out their intentions anyway. Mr Tusk stressed that without legislative changes the situation in the judiciary would not be corrected.
New proposals for amendments to the law
Donald Tusk announced that shortly the Minister of Justice Adam Bodnar would present 3 draft laws. The fresh rules are to concern the position of judges, the National Judicial Council and the ultimate Court. These changes aim to reconstruct the regulation of law and remove unconstitutional elements from the Polish judicial system.
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