“I believe that Minister Żurek acted from a position of power and used a certain kind of coercion. He behaved inelegantly and inappropriately, which does not surprise me,” said the First President of the Supreme Court, Judge Małgorzata Manowska, on TV Republika. She was referring to today’s incident in which Żurek forced his way into the Supreme Court premises.
Żurek forced his way into the Supreme Court
On Friday, the Minister of Justice, Waldemar Żurek, forced his way into the premises of the Supreme Court, where he held a press conference. Judge Prof. Aleksander Stępkowski, defending the court’s independence, decisively interrupted the event. He accused the minister of unlawfully entering the court grounds without the consent of its host. In response, Żurek used the offensive term “Mr. neo-judge.“
Today’s events were commented on by the First President of the Supreme Court, Judge Małgorzata Manowska, on TV Republika.
“I would like to congratulate Minister Żurek on his great courage. He came to the Supreme Court accompanied by the Government Protection Bureau (SOP), which means, I assume, under arms – and that is unacceptable. I was not informed about Minister Żurek being invited to today’s meeting of the Council of Lay Judges. I regret that he was invited at all. It must be remembered that lay judges are also judges,” she said.
She added that “not wanting to provoke any conflict or aggression, I invited the lay judges into a publicly accessible room so as not to escalate the situation.”
“Next time, if Minister Żurek wants to hold a press conference at the Supreme Court, I will be better prepared. A normal, honest person learns from their mistakes,” the First President of the Supreme Court announced.
The First President on Żurek: “He behaved inelegantly and inappropriately”
In her view, “the executive branch violated the autonomy and independence of the Supreme Court – this should never have happened.“
“I don’t go to Minister Żurek’s office to hold my own press conferences, but maybe it’s time to start. The only issue is that I wouldn’t be allowed into the Ministry of Justice with such a conference, because it’s protected like a fortress. I believe that Minister Żurek acted from a position of power and used a certain kind of coercion. He behaved inelegantly and inappropriately, which does not surprise me,” she concluded.
When asked how she assessed the use of the term “neo-judge” toward Judge Prof. Aleksander Stępkowski, she replied that it was “a lack of culture and of any willingness to cooperate or reach a compromise in order to solve the problems within the judiciary.”
“This conflict is being fueled by certain judicial associations and by the Prime Minister,” she reminded.