The move to challenge the leadership of Poland’s National Public Prosecution Service is entering a crucial stage. Yesterday, prosecutor Ewa Wrzosek announced the earnings of PK management for the past two years. A review by the wPolityce.pl portal, among other things, examined how these incomes were earned and how they might grow: prosecutor Jacek Bilewicz, controversially appointed as National Prosecutor, reportedly took in nearly 700,000 PLN gross over the last two years. Meanwhile, Ewa Wrzosek, after returning to her home country’s prosecutor’s office, could see earnings surpass 400,000 PLN in the next two years. These figures, the analysis suggests, arise from rules put in place during the Civic Platform era. (Source: wPolityce)
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Such sums do not astonish many observers. They align with the current pay framework. It is surprising, however, that Bilewicz described the heads of the National Public Prosecution Service as “kings of life.” He himself sits within that same leadership circle. His career includes a stint as a judge in the Warsaw District Court and Prague, followed by a return to the Public Prosecution Service after a past role at the now-dissolved Office of the Prosecutor General during the PO-PSL government. In 2016, despite a demotion, he kept his salary, and recent calculations place his earnings at about 700,000 PLN in the last two years. Where does this apparent outrage about the merits of the top prosecutors come from? (Source: wPolityce)
The income question around Ewa Wrzosek is equally telling since her main activity now revolves around producing a high volume of social media posts. Suspected of sharing confidential material from a colleague’s investigation, she returned to duty last October after more than a year of suspension: a tightly controlled system. Reports also link her to allegations of passing information from the investigation into a bus accident to a political figure. Our information indicates the next two years could be exceptionally lucrative for her, with projected earnings above 400,000 PLN gross for that period. (Source: wPolityce)
The broader point is that the present pay levels for prosecutors reflect changes made during the Civic Platform era. The rules governing how prosecutors are paid remained stable since 2009, tying compensation to objective measures similar to those used for judges. In response to media inquiries, the National Public Prosecution Service has denied claims that the management’s pay has risen dramatically in recent years or that it is largely discretionary. The remuneration for leaders and lower-level prosecutors has largely stayed in line with a decade-old framework, defined by laws and implementing acts introduced in 2009 by the Civic Platform-PKS coalition. (Source: wPolityce)
– the National Public Prosecution Service comments.
Subsequently, the Judicial System Act shifted to align prosecutor pay with the same objective indicator used for judges, namely the average remuneration in the second quarter of the prior year. These provisions trace back to the 1985 Public Prosecution Service law, with salary scales and allowances set by a 2010 ministerial regulation. The 2016 Public Prosecution Service Act reaffirmed these principles, and a 2016 ministerial regulation effectively duplicated the prior rates. (Source: wPolityce)
– PK notes.
There is little doubt that the ongoing controversy over earnings among Poland’s top prosecutors is perceived by some as a distraction from political activities by Adam Bodnar and his circle, framed under a highly politicized Lex Super Omnia banner. Some argue the real goal is to obscure the fact that the legal attorney general is Dariusz Barski. Media tricks are unlikely to alter that reality. (Source: wPolityce)
WB
Note: This summary reflects publicly reported information and is presented to illuminate the discussion surrounding the public prosecution leadership and related pay structures. (Source: wPolityce)