The Provincial Administrative Court imposed a fine of PLN 60,000 on the chairman of the National Broadcasting Council, Maciej Świrski. – The verdict is not final. The deadline for filing an appeal expires on October 16, and a cassation appeal will be filed by that time – said the spokesperson for the National Broadcasting Council, Teresa Brykczyńska.
The TVN Style satellite concession was extended by 10 years by the National Broadcasting Council on June 12, 2024. The entire re-licensing process took 11 months.
As Wirtualne Media recalled, TVN filed a complaint with the Provincial Administrative Court against the chairman of the National Council, accusing him of inaction. “In its judgment of 13 June, the Provincial Administrative Court ruled that the head of the National Broadcasting Council had acted in a 'flagrant violation of the law'. He ordered a decision to be issued regarding a further concession for TVN Style within 14 days of the final judgment in this case and imposed a fine of PLN 60,000. This is a non-final judgment issued in the first instance” – the article stated.
“Many firm statements”
On Monday, lawyer Mikołaj Sowiński, representing TVN in the concession proceedings, published the justification of the WSA ruling on LinkedIn. “This is a precedent-setting ruling. The Voivodship Administrative Court assessed the body's behavior so reprehensibly that it allowed itself to make many firm statements,” he emphasized.
In the fragments of the justification quoted by Sowiński, it is stated that the body concerned by the case, i.e. the chairman KRRiT“as it results from the case files, he not only disregards the parties to the proceedings, but also court judgments”. “The vote on the concession, which depended solely on his (the Chairman of the National Broadcasting Council) decision, only 10 months after the date of its submission, only proves the negligence of the Authority and lack of diligence in conducting the proceedings. It also confirms the allegations of the Party”. “In the Court's opinion, it is difficult to accept any other explanation for the actions of the authority than deliberate avoidance of making decisions and in an increasingly persistent manner” – read the following fragments of the justification.
The Provincial Administrative Court found that the actions of the head of the National Broadcasting Council in this case “clearly hinder and illegally force the Party (TVN – note) to take action”, and furthermore, his conduct “marks out[ło] with blatant and obvious inaction, because for as many as 11 months there was no [były] any action taken in connection with these proceedings.”
KRRiT commentary
“The judgment is not final. The deadline for filing an appeal expires on October 16, and a cassation appeal will be filed by that time,” KRRiT spokesperson Teresa Brykczyńska commented on the judgment for PAP.
Main image source: TVN24