"I will do my best to make sure the Supreme Court remains the backbone of judicial independence and freedom of courts," the newly appointed Chief Justice of Poland's top court Małgorzata Manowska said on Tuesday. Critics underscore that President Andrzej Duda has decided not to appoint a candidate who has received twice as many votes from his peers as Manowska has. The president also nominated judge Michał Laskowski to head the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court.
President's decision has sparked controversy as Małgorzata Manowska, who had once worked under justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, received less votes from the SN general assembly on Saturday than one of the other candidates, judge Włodzimierz Wróbel. Bearing in mind the gravity of the decision, it would seem that the latter should become the president's choice, as he gathered most of the nominations - 50 out of 95, whereas Manowska only 25.
Although the choice of the SN chief is an exclusive prerogative of the president, critics of Andrzej Duda accuse him of choosing a former ally of the ruling party, rather than a candidate enjoying the biggest support among his fellow-judges.
After officially accepting the nomination, Małgorzata Manowska said on Tuesday at a press conference at the Supreme Court premises in Warsaw, that she would give her best to keep the court "the backbone of judicial independence and freedom of courts".
She also expressed her belief that this goal could be fully achieved thanks hard work and dedication of the whole "Supreme Court team". "I'm very glad that I have a chance to dedicate my long-term experience as a judge and an academic to serving the Supreme Court and its members," the new Chief Justice said.
Asked about her plan to formally overturn a resolution issued by three chambers of the Supreme Court, judge Manowska said she would discuss the issue with heads of the court's chambers. "The justice system cannot be micromanaged and all decisions the Supreme Court's authority depends on should be worked out in a democratic discussion," she added. On Monday, President Andrzej Duda appointed Małgorzata Manowska for a six-year term to replace the outgoing chief of the Supreme Court, judge Małgorzata Gersdorf. He also picked the court's long-standing spokesman and judge Michał Laskowski as the new chief of the Criminal Chamber. Both Gersdorf and Laskowski have been outspoken critics of the judicial overhaul launched by the ruling Law and Justice party.
Małgorzata Manowska has been a Supreme Court Justice since October 2018, when she has joined the Civic Chamber. Before, she had worked for several years at the Court of Appeals in Warsaw. In 2007, she had a short stint as deputy minister of justice under Zbigniew Ziobro. Since 2016, she has also headed the National School of Judiciary and Public Prosecution in Kraków.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: TVN24