The fate of Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański hangs in the balance. Today, the National Electoral Commission (PKW) will decide whether to notify the prosecutor’s office regarding his case.
In a letter addressed to the PKW, the Law and Justice Party (PiS) pointed out that although on December 30, 2024, the Commission—following a decision by the Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs Chamber of the Supreme Court—ultimately accepted the previously rejected financial report of the party’s electoral committee for the 2023 parliamentary elections, the Minister of Finance has not implemented this PKW resolution, and PiS has not received the full amount of funds from the state budget. Consequently, a representative of the party has requested the PKW to submit a notification to the prosecutor’s office regarding the alleged offence of failure to fulfil official duties by the Minister of Finance.
The chairman of the Commission, Sylwester Marciniak, confirmed that the letter had been received by the PKW. He stated that the PiS request would be presented during the Commission’s session on March 10. “In this matter, the position of the entire Commission is necessary,” Marciniak emphasized. The PKW session is scheduled to begin at 11:30 AM.
How Is Domański Blocking the Disbursement of Funds to PiS?
At the beginning of January, the Minister of Finance formally requested the PKW to provide an interpretation of the resolution concerning the disbursement of funds to PiS. He sent another similar letter at the end of February. According to the Minister of Finance, the Commission’s resolution regarding the financial report of the PiS electoral committee for the 2023 elections is “internally contradictory.” Public debate has highlighted, among other things, the ambiguity of the statement in which the PKW “does not determine” whether the Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs Chamber of the Supreme Court qualifies as a judicial body.
During a press conference on last Monday, Marciniak explained that there is no legal provision that allows for an interpretation of a PKW resolution regarding the acceptance of an electoral committee’s financial report. “The resolution has been adopted and is in force; it should be implemented,” the PKW chairman stressed.
The politically influenced National Electoral Commission rejected the financial report of the PiS electoral committee for the 2023 parliamentary elections in August of last year. In November, the PKW also rejected the party’s annual financial report for 2023.
PiS appealed both PKW decisions to the Supreme Court. On December 11 of last year, the Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs Chamber of the Supreme Court—which is the competent body for reviewing complaints against PKW resolutions—ruled in favour of PiS regarding the electoral committee’s financial report. As a result, on December 30, the PKW accepted the report. Despite this, Domański continues to block the disbursement, exposing himself to potential criminal liability in the future.