The National Prosecutor’s Office is about to ambush the old, legal Supreme Court. It has demanded that the Criminal Chamber hand over the files of 25 cases because it is conducting a political investigation of the Supreme Court. The chairman of the Criminal Chamber, Michał Laskowski, a dozen or so judges from that Chamber and even former Supreme Court President Gersdorf would be threatened with criminal charges.

The National Prosecutor’s Office has unexpectedly asked the illegal Disciplinary Chamber to lift the immunity of three judges of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court. The list includes Professor Włodzimierz Wróbel, a fierce critic of the ‘good change’ in the courts and Małgorzata Manowska’s counter-candidate for the office of president of the Supreme Court. The prosecutor’s office wants to charge them for the mistakes of the employees of the Supreme Court.

The ban on recording columns was issued by Przemyslaw Radzik, Minister Ziobro’s man for prosecuting independent judges and his nominee in Poland’s largest court. Radzik did not like it that Tuleya wanted to record columns about courts and the rule of law for the civic Halo.Radio.

President Andrzej Duda has given a high promotion to Deputy Minister of Justice Anna Dalkowska. The President also promoted 58 people to Poland’s largest court, including Ziobro’s nominees and associates, as well as spouses and partners of the ‘good change’ judges

President Andrzej Duda has submitted a bill on the Supreme Court to the Sejm that would give him the right to introduce his ‘commissioners’, acting presidents, to the old chambers of the Supreme Court. Lawyers are concerned that this could be a way of blocking an important matter in the CJEU regarding the legality of the appointment of new Supreme Court judges.

Judge Tuleya will not come to the National Prosecutor’s Office for questioning for the second time. However, the Prosecutor’s Office is announcing that it will conduct ‘activities’ with respect to the judge. This means at least that he will be apprehended and brought to the prosecutor’s office by the police.

The special internal department of the National Prosecutor’s Office has called for a special investigation into seven judges from Cracow. All of them issued judgments concerning the prosecutor Mariusz Krasoń, who has been persecuted for displaying independence. This is a case of clear interference in the judges’ work, and of putting pressure on one of them.

The illegally constituted Disciplinary Chamber has lifted the immunity of Judge Igor Tuleya, which will allow the National Prosecutor’s Office to bring absurd criminal charges against him for admitting journalists to an announcement of a ruling which was important to the public. Tuleya was also suspended from his duties as a judge and had his salary reduced by 25%.

The current authority will have increasingly greater control over the Supreme Administrative Court, which is at the same level of importance as the Supreme Court. This is because judges and lawyers who have decided to cooperate with the authorities and Minister Ziobro’s ministry are applying for positions in that court.

The chief disciplinary commissioner, Piotr Schab, has been nominated to the office of president of the Regional Court in Warsaw. Schab is known for prosecuting independent judges. If this information is officially confirmed, it will mean a stricter course for Poland’s largest court.