The case brought by former Speaker of the Senate Tomasz Grodzki against our station’s editor-in-chief, Tomasz Sakiewicz, for calling him “a common bribe-taker”, returns to the courtroom once again today. The trial has been ongoing for six years, and new threads continue to emerge. The court is expected to announce its decision after reviewing the extensive case files and additional evidence submitted by witnesses.
At 10:30 a.m. in the District Court for Warsaw-Wola, at 3 Kocjana Street, a hearing began in the case filed by Tomasz Grodzki against Tomasz Sakiewicz. The former Marshal of the Senate sued the president of TV Republika for calling him “a common bribe-taker”. The case relates to allegations of corruption at the Szczecin hospital where Grodzki served as director. For defamation and insult under Articles 212 and 216 of the Criminal Code, the penalty may reach up to two years in prison.
A verdict was already expected several times, but the station’s newsroom continued to receive reports from additional injured patients and their families, who were ready to present evidence and testify in court.
The trial has now lasted six years, and in December of this year it may become time-barred.
20 volumes of case files
As explained by the editor-in-chief of Gazeta Polska, attorney Andrzej Lew-Mirski, in an interview with the portal Niezalezna.pl, the court reopened the judicial proceedings. Particular attention was drawn to motions submitted during the previous hearing. Because new witnesses in the matter of bribes allegedly given to Grodzki came forward expressing their willingness to testify, the Warsaw court asked the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Szczecin (PR) for the files of a discontinued case in which 200 people had given testimony.
The parties were given three weeks to review 20 volumes of documents.