Since the Polish parliament on Thursday voted to disband the aforementioned disciplinary committee, the government now hopes that the country will soon get back billions of euros in frozen assets from the EU, reports AP.
The ruling governing coalition, led by Law and Justice, voted in favor of the proposal, while the opposition voted against on the grounds that the decision only entails marginal changes in the system. This is because the board may be replaced by a similar body.
Has a mission to monitor
It was Law and Justice that introduced the Supreme Court’s disciplinary committee and the committee is governed politically with the task of supervising the members of the Supreme Court. They have been given a mandate to waive the immunity of judges, reduce their salaries and bring them to justice. The introduction of the board has given the court limited opportunities to go against the government.
The European Court of Justice has ruled that the tribunal is incompatible with EU law as it undermines the independence of the judiciary and has imposed fines for Poland as long as the tribunal remains. Poland has emphasized that Polish law takes precedence over EU legislation.
“Action against the independent judiciary”
Judge Marek Pietruszyński was deprived of his immunity last year due to a legal technicality which he believes had normally only been investigated internally. He then directed sharp criticism at the board’s activities.
– It can be summed up as an action against the independent judiciary. Against judges who have judged independently and objectively and who want to continue to do so, he said in SVT’s Agenda
The abolition of the disciplinary committee still needs to be approved by the senate, writes AP.