Dariusz Barski was unlawfully and forcibly deprived by the government of the ability to perform the duties of National Prosecutor, the statement issued by the Chancellery of President Karol Nawrocki said, following the head of state’s meeting with the prosecutor.
On Monday, President Karol Nawrocki met with Prosecutor Dariusz Barski. The talks took place exactly two years after the illegal takeover of the prosecution service by those in power.
After the meeting, Prosecutor Barski spoke to the media, emphasizing that he is lawfully performing the function of National Prosecutor. “To date, no one has even attempted to remove me from this position. The procedure set out in the statute was not applied, nor was any other. Mr. Bodnar’s views were of no greater significance. Opinions are not a source of law,” he stressed.
Following the talks, the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland also issued a statement.
Clear stance of the President
“The President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, met with National Prosecutor Dariusz Barski, who exactly two years ago was unlawfully and forcibly deprived by the government of the ability to perform his duties,”
the statement of the Presidential Chancellery read.
“Removal of the National Prosecutor requires the consent of the President of the Republic of Poland. The Prime Minister has never submitted such a request, and the building of the National Prosecutor’s Office was seized by force. The fact that Dariusz Barski is the only lawful National Prosecutor has been confirmed by both the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Tribunal, but their rulings were disregarded,”
it emphasized.
It added: “This is not the rule of law. This is a sea of injustice and an attack on the constitutional foundations of the state system.”
“An important signal”
The statement has been widely commented on online. Among those who referred to it was MEP Mariusz Kamiński, former head of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration. “A very important signal! President Karol Nawrocki received Dariusz Barski, the NATIONAL PROSECUTOR. Dariusz Barski was not effectively removed, and the government is preventing him from performing his duties,” he wrote on the X platform.
“The President clearly indicates that he does not consent to government lawlessness. The time will come to hold the usurpers from Tusk, Bodnar, and Żurek to account…”
he added.
The position of the Presidential Chancellery was also commented on by the Prosecutors’ Association “Ad Vocem.” “The President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda, the President of the Republic of Poland Karol Nawrocki, the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Tribunal, the State Tribunal, the common courts, and the Supreme Administrative Court are state authorities that recognize that Prosecutor Dariusz Barski in 2022 effectively returned from retirement to active prosecutorial service and, consequently, was and is the National Prosecutor,” the prosecutors wrote.
“Are there any other serious state authorities that think otherwise?” they added.