Several hours of forcing locks and haphazardly removing files from judges’ disciplinary proceedings, this, in the view of the National Public Prosecutor’s Office, amounted to exemplary actions that had no impact on the National Council of the Judiciary. The Chair of the Council disagrees; yesterday, she was even prevented from leaving the building.
The searches at the headquarters of the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS) lasted several hours and were carried out by prosecutors subordinate to Waldemar Żurek, Zbigniew Rzepa, and Tomasz Narłowski. Social media quickly filled with photos of ransacked offices, emptied filing cabinets, and drilled-out locks. During the prosecutors’ actions, access to the building was blocked by dozens of police officers. Not only were the media denied entry, but Members of Parliament were also prevented from entering the building.
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After Wednesday’s raid by prosecutors, an official statement appeared the following day on the website of the National Public Prosecutor’s Office. The note was prepared by the spokesperson for the Prosecutor General, Prosecutor Anna Adamiak.
First, the lawful Disciplinary Spokesperson for Judges of the Ordinary Courts and his two deputies were accused of “usurpation of functions” and of “concealing documentation concerning judges’ and judicial assessors’ disciplinary proceedings by refusing to hand it over.”
It was stated that “prior to commencing the activities, the prosecutor handed the Office Manager present on site an order demanding the surrender of items and authorizing a search.” It is known, however, that at the moment the prosecutors entered, none of the disciplinary spokespeople were present. Moreover, the investigators entered the KRS building together with a locksmith.
According to Prosecutor Adamiak, the actions were carried out exclusively in rooms occupied by the office of the disciplinary spokesperson and therefore allegedly had no impact on the activities of the National Council of the Judiciary.
“In the prosecutor’s assessment, the search, as well as the manner in which it was conducted, had no effect on the exercise of the constitutional competences of the National Council of the Judiciary and did not violate its independence,”
the statement reads.
The communiqué is all the more bizarre given that yesterday the Chair of the KRS warned that she was being prevented from leaving the building or accessing her car parked in a lot belonging to the KRS.
Immediately after the prosecutors entered, Judge Dagmara Pawełczyk-Woicka reported their presence at the KRS office.
In another post, she warned that the police had forcibly taken over the KRS headquarters.