In December 2023, the Minister of Justice and General Prosecutor Adam Bodnar was invited to participate in the General Assembly of Judges of the Court of Appeal in Szczecin. The Minister accepted the invitation and asked the judicial self-government to present three candidates for the position of the President of the Court of Appeal and their opinion.
On behalf of the Minister of Justice, Deputy Minister Dariush Mazur – a judge with more than twenty years of experience, who, according to the Ministry of Justice, “knows the specifics of the environment very well” took part in Friday's deliberations.
“Judicial self-government positively evaluated the initiative of the Ministry of Justice and the participation of the representative of the Ministry's leadership in the negotiations. Deputy Minister Dariusz Mazur got acquainted with the personnel situation of the Szczecin Court of Appeal. Both parties agreed. that the participation of the deputy minister in today's meeting is an opportunity to restore the role of judicial self-government and a new opening in bilateral relations”, we read in the statement.
Ministry of Justice: We will restore the rule of law
The new leadership of the Ministry claims that it is “listening carefully to the voice of the judicial community, which was ignored in previous years.”
“When selecting judicial bodies, the Ministry of Justice wants to take into account the opinions of people who have jointly created this appeal over the years. The belief that it is possible to influence the leadership of the court from above, while eliminating the influence. The self-government of judges should be considered dangerous and contributes to undermining the authority of the government in the society. in the judicial system”, it is written.
According to the Ministry, “cooperation between the judiciary and government administration should be based on mutual trust and respect”.
“There cannot be situations where under the pretext of “discipline” judges are expected to be fully subordinated to the authorities. A constructive dialogue between the Ministry of Justice and the judicial authorities will contribute to increasing the confidence of citizens in the state. and the law and the restoration of the rule of law in Poland” – assures M.S.
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These are the results of Bodnar's decision. The National Prosecutor's Office issued a statement
(Tags translated) Dariush Mazuri