Stanisław Piotrowicz must issue an apology statement in television addressed to the First President of the Supreme Court (SN) Małgorzata Gersdorf, and to a judge of that court Krzysztof Rączka, for infringing on their personal interests with his comment on judges - the Warsaw District Court ruled on Thursday.
Piotrowicz must also pay 20.000 zlotys of damages in the form of donation to the SOS Children's Villages organisation. The verdict is not yet legally binding.
The civil lawsuit was filed by the SN Justices against Stanisław Piotrowicz - former Law and Justice MP, currently judge of the Constitutional Tribunal - was a reaction to his comment about "judges who are common thieves". Chief Justice Gersdorf and Piotrowicz were absent at the verdict reading on Thursday.
"Stanisław Piotrowicz's comment infringed on personal interests of the plaintiffs - in the form of their good name and stature," judge Agnieszka Rafałko said in the substantiation of the verdict.
Piotrowicz made the said comment in the late August, 2018. During a session of the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), which was to issue recommendations for candidates to the Supreme Court, a protest was organised by members of the Obywatele RP organisation. Referring to the demostrantion, Piotrowicz told journalists that it was unacceptable to have a handful of people, frustrated with losing their privileges, blocking the proceedings of a constitutional body. Asked what privileges he had in mind, he said that it was crucial to prevent "judges who are common thieves from passing verdicts".
Piotrowicz's words stirred outrage and protests by some judges. In response to the comment, Chief Justice Małgorzata Gersdorf and Justice Krzysztof Rączka have filed a civil lawsuit againts Piotrowicz. They demanded public apology and donating 50.000 zlotys to the SOS Children's Villages organisation.
Asked about the verdict, Stanisław Piotrowicz said later on Thursday: "I consider it as nothing more than a retaliation for me being a symbol of justice system reforms".
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: tvn24