“For Waldemar Żurek, who publicly declared that he must have ‘his own’ trusted judges, the complete lack of preparation on the part of the jurors is, as we can see, a great advantage,” comments former Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro on the findings reported by Niezalezna.pl.
As the Niezalezna.pl portal revealed on Monday, the jurors adjudicating the case of Father Olszewski and the female officials were appointed the day before the trial. They had 24 hours to familiarize themselves with more than 200,000 pages of case files. Although this is physically impossible, Judge Justyna Koska-Janusz stated during the January 21 hearing that she had confidence in the jurors. Moreover, they submitted statements declaring that they had reviewed the files.
The publication has sparked widespread commentary. Additionally, the association Lawyers for Poland (Prawnicy dla Polski) has notified the prosecutor’s office about the matter.
“There has been a failure to fulfill duties or an overstepping of authority by the jurors in this case, Krystyna Gelo and Jagoda Miazek. […] They acted to the detriment of private interests and grossly undermined the authority of the court and the justice system by undertaking adjudicatory actions without knowledge of the case files, which is evident without the need for detailed analysis,”
wrote the association’s president, Łukasz Piebiak, in the notification reviewed by journalists from Niezalezna.pl.
Former Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro also commented on the matter. “The trial of Father Olszewski and the female officials is a blatant setup,” the politician assessed.
He recalled that a year earlier, jurors had been lawfully selected by lot. “But for Żurek, who publicly declared that he must have ‘his own’ trusted judges, the complete lack of preparation of the jurors is, as we can see, a great advantage,” Ziobro said.
“That is precisely why Tusk wanted to have ‘his own’ trusted judges. So that after fabricated trials, verdicts consistent with his political demands would be delivered. The system is meant to operate efficiently,”
the post reads.