57 senators voted against holding Adam Bodnar criminally responsible. Thus, the Senate did not grant consent to strip him of his parliamentary immunity. The case concerns the purges he carried out in courts across Poland while serving as Minister of Justice.
To recall: Just before last year’s Christmas holidays, Minister of Justice Adam Bodnar dismissed Judge Jacek Przygucki from his position as President of the District Court in Suwałki.
As in several dozen other cases, Minister Bodnar justified the decision by citing the lack of consultation with the judicial council at the time of appointment, as well as the judge’s signing of a support list for a candidate for the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS).
Following his dismissal, Judge Przygucki did not make any statements or comment on the minister’s decision. He chose to pursue legal action instead.
A formal request was also submitted to the Senate. It was voted on during Thursday’s session.
57 senators voted against allowing Bodnar to be held criminally liable. Only 33 voted in favor, while two senators abstained.
Earlier, the Senate’s Committee on Rules, Ethics, and Senatorial Affairs recommended rejecting Judge Przygucki’s motion, filed on March 24, 2025, requesting that the Senate of the Republic of Poland grant consent to initiate criminal proceedings against Senator Adam Bodnar for the act specified in the request.
Before the vote, Bodnar argued that there was no basis for initiating legal proceedings against him.
“I do not feel that I violated or defamed Judge Przygucki. What I did in this matter was to submit a motion to the court’s board based on arguments related to his having served for several years in high-profile positions within the Ministry of Justice. Those years led to his nomination, in mid-2023, to the position of President of the District Court in Suwałki,” the senator explained to his colleagues—despite the fact that, during his time as Minister of Justice, he worked closely with judges, mainly activists from the Iustitia and Themis associations.