The Minister of Finance must consider whether he wants to allocate funds to institutions whose activities are known to generate compensation from our state – said judge Waldemar Żurek in “Fakty po Faktach”. He informed that during the meeting with Donald Tusk, a proposal was made to withdraw financing from the state budget, for example, the neo-KRS. He admitted that the prime minister's reaction was that “this is an issue to consider”. The president of the National Bar Council, attorney Przemysław Rosati, announced that for him the most important agreement of the meeting was the announcement of the “digitization of the justice system” and “simplification of procedures”.
Judge of the District Court in Kraków and member of the Association of Judges “Themis” Waldemar Żurek and attorney Przemysław Rosati, president of the Supreme Bar Council, spoke in “Fakty po Faktach” on TVN24 about Friday's meeting of the legal community with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, in which they also participated.
Judge Żurek was asked whether during the talks he had made a proposal to stop financing the Court of Justice or other institutions related to the administration of justice from the state budget. The judge had mentioned such a solution even before the meeting, presenting his expectations. – Yes, exactly – admitted the guest of “Fakty po Faktach”. He added that this idea, apart from the Constitutional Tribunal, also concerned the neo-National Council of the Judiciary.
– What was the Prime Minister's reaction? – asked the host of the program Anita Werner. – That it was an issue to consider – replied Judge Żurek.
As he said, “there were even specific examples that in the draft budget, for example, the neo-KRS has funds allocated”. – Then we heard that it was just a draft for now. The neo-KRS must submit an application, and what the government will do with it is still a matter for discussion – the judge reported. And he added: – That was an important answer for me.
Judge Żurek on the proposal regarding the neo-National Council of the Judiciary, which was made at the meetingTVN24
He mentioned the case of Xero Flor v. Poland, heard on 7 May 2021 by the European Court of Human Rights. The ECtHR found that Poland had violated the provisions of the European Convention human rights in the scope of the right to a fair trial by a court established by law. The European Court found that the Polish Constitutional Tribunal was ruled by a judge who had no right to do so (a neo-judge) and ruled that Poland should pay the company almost three and a half thousand euros in compensation.
As Żurek emphasized, such compensation “is paid by all of us from our taxes”. – So I justify it simply: the Minister of Finance must consider whether he wants to allocate funds to institutions whose activities will generate compensation from our state. This is a lack of rational action and mismanagement of public funds – he argued.
1. The costs of the Council's activities are covered from the state budget. The Council ensures the conditions for the operation of the disciplinary spokesman for judges of common courts and judicial assessors and the disciplinary spokesman for judges of military courts. 2. The Council's income and expenses constitute a separate part in the state budget. 3. The Chairman of the Council is the administrator of the budget part corresponding to the Council. 4. The Chairman of the Council shall submit the draft plan of income and expenses adopted by the Council to the minister responsible for budget matters, for the purpose of inclusion in the draft budget act pursuant to art. 139 sec. 2 of the Act of 27 August 2009 on public finances (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1270, as amended).
The President of the Supreme Bar Council on what was most important to him
Rosati spoke about what, from his point of view – as a lawyer who comes into contact with people every day at work – was the most important thing during the meeting with the head of government and his minister.
He said that for him it is “digitalization of the justice system, simplification of procedures and what is most important: the rule of law, and this was clearly echoed in the words of the Prime Minister, it is also about citizens”.
He admitted that “courts must be independent, judges must be impartial, we cannot have any doubts as to how the Supreme Court is shaped, but the most important thing is that from the perspective of an ordinary citizen, both spheres of changes that lie ahead of us will have the same priority.”
– So we do not forget about ordinary people – he emphasized.
Rosati on the most important decision from the lawyer's perspective, which was made during the meeting with the Prime MinisterTVN24
Main image source: TVN24