Krystyna Pawłowicz, who last Friday entered retirement status as a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal, has still not received the benefits to which she is entitled. Despite a request from the President of the Constitutional Tribunal, Bogdan Święczkowski, the Prime Minister’s Chancellery refused to release the funds from a special reserve. Why?
At the beginning of December, even before Pawłowicz entered retirement—after 50 years of professional work—a rather serious clash occurred in the Sejm.
It was then that Aleksandra Kot, a 25-year-old MP from the Civic Coalition and the youngest parliamentarian of the current term, sparked a mini generational conflict.
She targeted Krystyna Pawłowicz, listing the amounts that—according to her—the former Constitutional Tribunal judge was to receive: nearly a quarter of a million zlotys as a severance payment, about PLN 10,000 in monthly retirement benefits, and additional bonuses stemming from her status as a judge.
Pawłowicz Has Not Received the Money
Krystyna Pawłowicz entered retirement status more than a week ago, on December 5 of this year. Consequently, the Constitutional Tribunal should have paid her the benefits due, including a severance payment equal to six times a judge’s monthly salary (approximately PLN 240,000) and compensation for unused leave.
The problem is that the judge has not received this money. Why? Because the Prime Minister’s Chancellery refused to release the financial reserve for this purpose. This was despite the fact that funds from the reserve were necessary, given that last year—during work on the fund designated for Constitutional Tribunal judges’ remuneration—MPs “zeroed it out.” As a result, the Tribunal had no funds for unexpected payments.
It is worth noting, however, that Pawłowicz submitted her application to enter retirement as early as July this year. In turn, the President of the Tribunal, Bogdan Święczkowski, on November 18 requested that funds be allocated from the general state budget reserve to pay the benefits due to Judge Pawłowicz. The request was refused.
“In connection with the refusal by the Prime Minister to release funds from the general reserve to satisfy the State Treasury’s obligations related to entering retirement, Constitutional Tribunal Judge Prof. Krystyna Pawłowicz has not been paid any benefits connected with entering retirement (neither the severance payment nor compensation), despite such an obligation arising directly from legal provisions,” the Tribunal’s press office confirmed to Fakt.pl.
Why Did Tusk’s Chancellery Refuse?
How does the Prime Minister’s Chancellery explain its decision? “The request did not meet the prerequisites necessary to obtain financing from the general reserve, which is an exceptional instrument of ad hoc support in extraordinary situations. It cannot serve as a source for covering previously unplanned expenditures in every case. Therefore, the Chancellery refused to grant financial resources for this purpose,” the Government Information Centre told Fakt in response.
The judge should receive the benefits due next year; however, whether this will happen depends on the final shape of the budget act.