Constitutinal Tribunal ruled that the President may pardon someone before the final verdict is passed
Źródło: TVN24 International

The Constitutinal Tribunal has handed down a ruling in a case that was directed to the court a year ago by the Prosecutor General, Zbigniew Ziobro. The case concerns President Duda's pardoning of the former heads of the Central Anti-corruption Bureau, including current Secret Services Coordinator, Mariusz Kamiński. The new Constitutional Tribunal, called up by Law and Justice, has ruled that the President may pardon someone, even before that person hears the final verdict in their case.

"The Constitutional Tribunal had to answer the question, whether of not, the President may pardon a person before the final conviction. The Court has given an affirmative answer," indicated judge Grzegorz Jędrejek in a substantiation of the Tuesday's verdict.

"The grammatical interpretation unambiguously point to the conclusion that the President has the right to grant a pardon before the final conviction, which should result in discontinuation of the criminal case," added judge Jędrejek.

Her also said that since "the Constitution states only the general rule, the right to pardon, and offers no clarification, no court or tribunal holds the right to clarify this provision". "Among the President's prerogatives is the right to veto a bill passed by the parliament. In such case, the Constitutional Tribunal cannot assume that this right applies to bills passed on Wednesdays, a doesn't to those passed on Thursday," said judge Jędrejek.