On Tuesday, the neoKRS recommended Jarosław Dudzicz for the position of neojudge of the ultimate Court Criminal Chamber. This decision is controversial, both due to the candidate's past and the selection process itself. Dudzicz, a erstwhile associate of the neoKRS, has long struggled with accusations of anti-Semitism, which raises questions about his qualifications to take specified a advanced position in the Polish judiciary.
NeoKRS chooses Dudzicz
Two candidates competed in the ultimate Court Criminal Chamber: Jarosław Dudzicz and Andrzej Michałowicz, erstwhile president of the Słupsk territory Court, privately married to the neoKRS associate Joanna Kołodziej-Michaelowicz. The evaluation squad supported both candidates, but the final neoKRS vote brought advantage to Dudzicz. 10 members of the illiterate council supported his candidacy, and Michaelovich only five.
The final decision to nominate Dudzicz will be made by the demoralized transfer of Andrzej Duda, but if he decides to do so, Dudzicz will be promoted straight to the position of neo-judge of the ultimate Court, bypassing 2 levels of the judge's career. He is presently a justice of the territory Court in Słubice, and since 2017 has served as president of the Gorzów territory Court on behalf of Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobry. However, it is worth recalling that the fresh Minister of Justice, Adam Bodnar, dismissed him from this post.
The hatred scandal and anti-Semitic entries
Jarosław Dudzicz's name was related to the alleged hatred scandal which broke out in the Ministry of Justice during Zbigniew Ziobra. Dudzicz was to be a associate of the ‘Kasta/Anticist’ group on WhatsApp, in which judges supporting the ‘good change’ exchanged hateful content. He was besides associated with the "hawk faction" in the KRS, supporting a strict course towards judges.
However, these anti-Semitic entries from 2015 follow Dudzicz to this day. The Prosecutor's Office established that he wrote on the net about Jews as "a vile, filthy nation". The musician was to admit to placing these contents, but claimed that his goal was not to insult anyone or to incite hatred. In 2022, the prosecution controlled by Ziobra dismissed the investigation without seeing the crime's marks in Dudzicz's actions. However, the fresh board of prosecutors announced an analysis of the merits of this decision.
During the neoKRS gathering in 2023 Dudzicz stated that the accusations against him were fabricated, with the aim of assigning him a "wrong mouth of anti-semita". At the time, he sought a advice to the ultimate Court, but did not get it. This year's revision of the KRS position remains unexplained, as the transparency of the gathering was excluded during the presentation of information on the candidate. Deputy Head of the Council, Rafał Puchalski, justified this by the protection of Dudzicz's individual property.
Criticism of neoKRS Decision
The neoKRS decision to urge Dudzicz met with wide criticism in the legal environment. Although there was no formal debate on his candidacy, it was stressed that the evaluation squad gave him higher notes due to his experience in ruling on a delegation in a territory court.
However, for the legal community a advice The voice is unacceptable. Marcin Wolny of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights ironic that “a large experience in the subject of hatred crimes” makes Dudzicz an excellent candidate. Justice Piotr Gąciarek of Iustitia stated that he did not realize how specified a candidate could be proposed to the SN, and asked the Minister of Justice whether Poland truly needed Jarosław Dudzicz in this position.
Does Poland truly request Dudzicz in the ultimate Court?
The decision to urge Dudzicz to the ultimate Court falls within the broader context of controversy around neoKRS activities and the improvement of the judiciary in Poland. The neo-KRS, which has been recognised by many as a politicised institution, raises serious concerns both at home and abroad. In turn, promotions of people associated with the alleged good change rise questions about the independency of the judiciary and respect for the principles of equality before the law.
Jarosław Dudzicz's case is another example that shows how politics penetrate the Polish judiciary. The choice of a candidate with controversial entries and participation in the hatred scandal may negatively affect the image of the ultimate Court and undermine citizens' assurance in judicial institutions. Does Poland truly request specified a figure at 1 of the highest positions in the judiciary? The answer to this question remains in the hands of president Andrzej Duda.
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Scandalist and anti-semite Jarosław Dudzicz recommended by neoKRS to SN
