Today there is no attempt to follow even the appearance of democracy and the rule of law, we must return to the Third World system, to poverty and hungry children – said PiS President Jarosław Kaczyński, responding to the PAP’s questions.
The PiS politician criticized the changes taking place in the judiciary, saying that they are a preparation for political trials of innocent people, which is part of a return to communism or even Stalinism.
PAP: How do you assess the changes in the judiciary implemented by Minister of Justice Adam Bodnar? Today, Poland is undergoing changes that the current government describes as the restoration of the rule of law. What do you think of the first effects: the release of large amounts of money from the KPO or the termination of the procedure against Poland under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union?
Jarosław Kaczyński: What began to happen after December 13, 2023 in the area of the rule of law is not only a demonstrative violation of the Constitution and the laws, but also a rejection of the idea (contained in the Constitution) of a democratic constitutional state. – the collapse of the Constitution goes so far that it will be necessary for its renewal in the future. I also see no positive elements in the actions of the EU authorities (we just earned the money).
The total disgrace of Brussels resulting from the fact that it was confirmed 100% is obvious. the thesis repeatedly put forward by representatives of our political camp, namely that its actions were aimed at bringing about a change of government in Poland, and not at a fight for the rule of law. The EU is not interested in real violations of the rule of law and human rights. The point was to establish a government that would be completely subordinate to Berlin and Brussels and that was ready to implement the project of creating a new EU structure, which would turn into a kind of empire of these two countries, dominated by Germany and France. It should be emphasized that the government of December 13, in order to achieve this goal, does not refrain from violating human rights, that is, by using torture.
Don’t you think that after eight years of the United Rights government, the courts should be more efficient? Research shows that the situation is not only no better when it comes to the length of proceedings, but that it is even worse. People are still waiting years for court decisions.
Agreed, that is how it should be, but to make this possible at least full cooperation of the broadly understood right-wing camp, including the President, was needed. An element that would be very conducive to the necessary reform would be the functioning of a not total but substantive, even very tough, opposition, a politically balanced media market, compliance with the treaties by the EU authorities and courts, i.e. non-intervention in the internal market. state affairs, and this also includes the organization of the judicial system.
After the fall of communism, the abandonment of never verified courts and the war declared by the post-communist judiciary against the reformers, supported by the entire opposition, led to a huge mess in the legal system, which aggravated the crisis and made significant progress in the reform of the judiciary. However, it is worth remembering that many issues related to procedures and digitalization have been completed. However, the decisive factor was the moral and legal level of a large number of judges.
There is a debate in Poland about judges nominated by the current National Council of the Judiciary. What do you think of these statements by European tribunals, which indicate that these judges do not guarantee independence in the decisions they make? Should Poland take these statements into account?
In its judgments, the CJEU clearly states that even in the event of any deficiencies in the procedure leading to the nomination of a candidate for a judge, the President’s decision corrects these deficiencies and is final and incontestable. I will add that I am referring to a theoretical situation, because such deficiencies did not exist during our regime. All the accusations in this case were insinuations of the total opposition and of “old-fashioned judges”. Unreformed courts were and are the main basis of the extremely unjust and inefficient system of post-communism in all areas.
The aim of fully restoring the pre-2015 situation in the judiciary is the most important part of the actions aimed at restoring – and in a more serious form – this system, which was seriously undermined during our rule.
Today, there is no attempt to maintain even the appearance of democracy and the rule of law. In other words, we must return to the Third World system, to poverty and hungry children, and hungry children are the Third World. We took Poland out of the Third World, and the authorities want to send us back there on December 13. And finally, the recent changes in the judiciary, especially in Warsaw, are completely illegal: starting with the dismissal of the president (of the Warsaw Court of Appeal Piotr-PAP) Schab and the appointment of his successor, the creation of a new department of the Warsaw Court of Appeal and sending there judges appointed after 2016, because they are biased, means that they are excluded from criminal trials. It is nothing more than a preparation for political trials of innocent people, and this is already a component of a return to communism or even Stalinism.
PAP/fleet
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.