Poland's Constitutional Court President Bogdan Swieczkowski and his deputy Bartlomiej Sochanski have been suspended for one month on the grounds that they obstructed the court's operations.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who was in Spanish airspace on his way to an official visit to Senegal, decided to return to the country after receiving the news.
While some citizens gathered in front of the Constitutional Court, police detained 3 people who were attempting to enter the building.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki cut short his journey to Senegal following the developments surrounding the Constitutional Court in the country.
In a statement on his X account, Nawrocki said, "At such a moment, the President must be in Poland. I am cutting my flight to Senegal short. I am returning."
COURT PRESIDENT REMOVED FROM OFFICE
The Constitutional Court announced in a statement on its website that court president Bogdan Swieczkowski had been removed from his post.
Along with Swieczkowski, his deputy Bartlomiej Sochanski was suspended for one month on the grounds that they obstructed the court's work.
Polish Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General Waldemar Zurek announced that he had submitted a 50-volume investigation file to the Constitutional Court for the lifting of the immunity of Swieczkowski and Sochanski and to hold them criminally liable, while it was announced that Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrkowska, the most senior judge at the court, had been appointed as the acting President of the Constitutional Court.
POLICE ENTERED THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT COMPLEX
The move was met with backlash from the main opposition Law and Justice Party (PiS). While party officials, led by PiS Chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and some citizens gathered in front of the Constitutional Court, police, who had taken strict security measures in front of the court, detained 3 people who were trying to enter the building.
Police later announced that they had entered the Constitutional Court complex due to the incidents that occurred.
PRIME MINISTER TUSK: IT IS OUR DUTY TO RESTORE THE RULE OF LAW
Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk shared the following on his X account:
"It is our duty to restore the rule of law. After years of lawlessness by the PiS (Law and Justice Party), this is a difficult, sometimes painful process that requires decisive action. There is no other way."
POLITICAL DISPUTE IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
The long-standing political dispute in Poland regarding the structure of the Constitutional Court and the appointment of judges has effectively paralyzed the institution's work.
Earlier this year, Nawrocki, an ally of the former nationalist government, had refused to perform the swearing-in ceremony for three of the six judges nominated by parliament.
Constitutional Court President Swieczkowski had also not allowed the judges elected by the current parliamentary majority to begin their duties.
News Source: 12punto
