The National Prosecutor's Office has late published a "Partial study of a panel of prosecutors to analyse cases of public interest". This paper sheds light on a number of crucial issues concerning the prosecution's activities in 2016–2023, erstwhile Zbigniew Ziobro (Suberenna Poland) was acting as lawyer General and the government in the country was in charge of the Law and Justice coalition. After the October 2023 election, the alleged Coalition took power on October 15, and the fresh lawyer General became Adam Bodnar (Civil Coalition).
The study focuses, among others, on the Regional Public Prosecutor's Office in Lublin, headed by Proc. Jerzy Ziarkiewicz. His actions are assessed critically, and allegations against him are an crucial component of the report.
Irregularities in the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Lublin
The study reveals many irregularities in the circulation of papers and the handling of cases by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Lublin. As indicated, the main and manual files of any unfinished cases at the orders of the erstwhile head of the unit were forwarded to that prosecutor and remained at his disposal for a long time, up to 2 years.
- "A number of cases have been confirmed where the files have been held for a very long time, which has not only had a negative impact on the course of proceedings, leading to unjustified protractiveness, but besides importantly undermined the procedural guarantees of the parties and another participants in the proceedings", the study states.
Critical remarks concern 27 cases, including those included in the Proc. Ziarkiewicz, and then they were handed over to another prosecutors. The audit besides pointed to the deficiency of adequate control over the proceedings and inefficient supervisory oversight.
Controversy around Roman Giertych
The Lublin prosecutor's office, headed by Ziarkiewicz, led a number of cases of wide public interest. 1 of them was the proceedings concerning Roman Giertych – a lawyer and erstwhile Minister of National Education. The case afraid the alleged misappropriation of over PLN 90 million by him to the detriment of Polnard. In 2015, the investigation was dropped, but after the Law and Justice came to power it was resumed and transferred to the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Lublin.
According to Onet.pl, Ziarkiewicz led a peculiar squad of investigators who dealt with the case.
Audit and its conclusions
The audit carried out in the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Lublin included 20 cases, including those related to allegations of inappropriate evidence storage. According to TOK.FM reports, the files of investigations in which the politicians of the Law and Justice were scrolling were to be deliberately blocked.
- "Act of investigations, where PiS politicians are scrolling, are being rushed out of the freezer present and sent to subordinate prosecutors with instructions to initiate proceedings immediately. Everything to get ahead of the expected control of the fresh superiors," 1 of the informants informed in an interview with the “Gazeta Wyborcza”.
The audit results confirmed the existence of irregularities which cast a shadow on the functioning of the prosecution at that time.
The relevance of the study to the current situation
The study of the National Prosecutor's Office, with about 300 pages, is an crucial part of the public debate on the functioning of the prosecutor's office in Poland during the years of the regulation of Zbigniew Ziobra. The published paper will most likely be a point of mention for the fresh authorities of the National Public Prosecutor's Office, which will gotta face allegations of politicising the prosecution's activities and the problem of lengthy proceedings.
It is worth following further developments, including possible steps towards Jerzy Ziarkiewicz and another people active in controversial activities of the Regional Public Prosecutor's Office in Lublin.
Continued here:
Former Lublin prosecutor targeted PK
