How did representatives of the Ministry of Justice manage to enter the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS) today? Aside from the version provided by the building’s security staff, it is also possible that the access card was handed over by the Minister of Justice himself.
On Tuesday, after office hours had ended at the KRS, representatives of Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek entered the building and demanded from security access to the KRS offices. Almost immediately, the official Disciplinary Spokesman for Common Court Judges and his deputies appeared on site.
According to security, the Ministry representatives allegedly helped themselves to access cards reserved for couriers who deliver mail and parcels daily to various institutions located in the building.
Shortly after media reports about the Ministry’s appearance, we spoke with the spokesperson of the Association of Polish Judges, Judge Łukasz Zawadzki of the Opole District Court.
“I know that Judge Dominik Czeszkiewicz, Director of Administrative Oversight at the Ministry of Justice, was at the KRS headquarters. He demanded access to the Council’s offices. Chaos ensued, because it was unclear whether he meant the offices of the KRS itself, located on the second floor, or the offices of the Disciplinary Spokesmen, one floor below. It is not out of the question that he wanted to forcibly install the usurpers Ulman and Ładny in those positions and seize the case files,” he told us.
“The absurdity here is that they entered after business hours. Judge Przemysław Radzik had been present there the entire day. He left at the usual time—and suddenly Czeszkiewicz appeared,” we heard.
Judge Zawadzki also pointed out that entering the KRS headquarters is no simple matter.
“I don’t know how he got inside. I suspect that the access was handed to him directly by the Minister of Justice himself, who as a member of the KRS by law does hold such entitlements. He may have entered using those rights. But we are talking about the Minister himself, not a director of one of the departments,” he told us.
In front of the KRS building, judges Przemysław Radzik, Piotr Schab, Michał Lasota, and Zbigniew Łupina held a press briefing. They confirmed that the men who came to the Council’s headquarters had taken access cards left at reception, normally used by couriers.
“Using those cards, they forced their way into our corridor where the disciplinary spokesman’s offices are located, and they even tried to open our doors with them. We know this from the testimony of the security staff. Put simply—in criminal law terms—they attempted a break-in. A textbook break-in using a magnetic card. After that, they left the building. We wanted to obtain the CCTV footage of the incident, but for now that is impossible. The regulations require us to file a formal request,” Judge Przemysław Radzik explained.