If something is not a court of law, why should the government apply to it? – this is how the head of the prime minister's office commented on the ruling of the Supreme Court's Extraordinary Control Chamber regarding money for PiS. The final decision on this matter is to be made by the Minister of Finance in a few days, but it is difficult to find anyone in the government who would see a reason to withdraw the money.
Finance Minister Andrzej Domański is expected to comment soon on the financing of PiS. – As soon as the Christmas and New Year period is over, we can expect the Minister of Finance to comment on this matter – says Jan Grabiec, head of the Prime Minister's office.
The government coalition is already hearing that PiS should be deprived of its funding because in the last campaign it used budget money in handfuls, breaking all the rules.
– PiS simply hacked this money, speaking in simple, brutal language, it took advantage of the state. How much does one have to steal to simply be punished? – asks Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Deputy Speaker of the Sejm, MP from the Left.
– There is no legal reason for the minister to pay this money, and here such threats, threatening the minister of finance, threatening the government, I don't think they will work – comments Tomasz Siemoniak, minister of internal affairs and administration, MP of the Civic Coalition.
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However, Law and Justice politicians have a different opinion. – The money should be released immediately – says PiS MP Michał Wójcik. – Or (Andrzej Domański – editor's note) will be sitting after this term – said PiS MEP Waldemar Buda. – Criminal and civil consequences – announces former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. –
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“Unconstitutional evil”
Currently, there is an ambiguous resolution of the National Electoral Commission on this matter. Ambiguous, because it is based on the decision of the Chamber of Public Affairs and Extraordinary Control in the Supreme Court, which ordered the payment of money to PiS indisputably. However, this chamber was established during the PiS era and its members include, among others, former advisors, collaborators and friends of PiS politicians, appointed in a politicized procedure.
Polish courts and European tribunals have long stated that these people only pretend to be the Supreme Court, and in fact they are not a court at all. In the resolution, the National Electoral Commission states that it does not “prejudge” whether the Chamber of Public Affairs and Extraordinary Control is a court.
The Supreme Court lay judges, i.e. representatives of the social side appointed by the Senate, spoke. – Ladies and gentlemen, evil is still lurking here in the Supreme Court. Unconstitutional evil, constitutional anti-order – says Andrzej Kompa, chairman of the Council of Labourers of the Supreme Court.
Judgments of the neo-chamber and neo-judges, as not a court, are appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. This is what Lech Wałęsa, among others, did in his case and won. The government must show iron consistency, which is missing, we hear.
– They go into the courtroom, issue documents, called judgments, for which the Polish state then pays compensation. Why is no one demanding a refund of the money paid from the state budget? – points out Bartłomiej Przymusiński from Association of Polish Judges “Iustitia”.
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Special government resolution
Now, when the issue of PiS financing arose and when the question arose which court should decide on the validity of the upcoming presidential elections, the government issued a special resolution in which it questioned the legality of the Chamber of Public Affairs and Extraordinary Control. – If something is not a court and issues judgments, now the entire administration has to apply these non-judgments? – asks Jan Grabiec.
As long as Andrzej Duda is president, any bill abolishing the House will be vetoed. – If they want to change the system of our country, they must do it in accordance with the law in force in Poland – says Mariusz Błaszczak, an MP from Law and Justice. Recently, Szymon Hołownia tried to convince Andrzej Duda that the validity of the elections should be decided by Supreme Court judges, whose authorization is not questioned, but the president did not agree.
Rafał Trzaskowski declares that immediately after being elected president, he will sign the act on the liquidation of the neo-chamber. – Because we must finally have order and the rule of law restored in our country, and this dualism must end – explains the Civic Coalition's candidate for president.
Main photo source: Leszek Szymański/PAP