Judge Paweł Juszczyszyn was allowed to return to work at the Regional Court in Olsztyn on Monday, however this decision was overruled almost immediately by the court's president Maciej Nawacki. The latter's term as president ended on Friday, but the Ministry of Justice sent a fax to the court on Monday, annoucing that Nawacki has been appointed for another term. Nawacki has cancelled his leave of absence only to announce his first decision about revoking the decision allowing Juszczyszyn to return, issued by his deputy Krzysztof Krygielski, who was the court's acting president for this short period before Nawacki reappointment.
On Monday, after two years of absence, judge Paweł Juszczyszyn was about to return to work at the Olsztyn Regional Court. The decision allowing him back was issued by deputy president of the court Krzysztof Krygielski. He became acting head of the court as its president Maciej Nawacki's term had ended on Friday.
Just hours after Juszczyszyn was green-lighted to return to work, the court received a fax from the Ministry of Justice, informing about Nawacki's appointment for another term. Nawacki immediately cancelled his vacation and first thing he did was to revoke his deputy's decision.
The decision to allow Juszczyszyn to return to adjudicating was motivated by Friday's decision of the Regional Court in Bydgoszcz, which said the judge had been suspended unlawfully and ordered the Olsztyn court to reinstate him.
Earlier this year in April, the Bydgoszcz court also issued an interim measure stating that Juszczyszyn should be allowed back to work, but judge Nawacki disregarded this solution.
Juszczyszyn: you can still count on decent people and brave judges
Judge Paweł Juszczyszyn told TVN24 on Monday that, although it had been officially announced that Maciej Nawacki was on vacation, he still showed up at the court after 1 p.m. and immediately revoked Krzysztof Krygielski's decision to reinstate Juszczyszyn.
He added that he was banned from courtroom, even though his case was "clear in legal terms". Furthermore, he said that the decision allowing him to return to court, as short as it lasted, still gave "everybody plenty of optimism".
"These moments proved that in courts you can still count on decent people, on brave judges, and that even judges holding certain positions, can still make fully independent decisions," Juszczyszyn said. "Above all, we are judges first, and only then we perform other duties. Chairman Nawacki doesn't understand it," he added.
Juszczyszyn on Nawacki: he choosed which court orders to follow
Juszczyszyn also said that Nawacki's Monday decision only proved his disregard for the law. "He treats verdicts by Polish courts with disregard, and just like high government officials, he arbitrarily chooses to respect and follow some rulings, and others not," he said.
He added that if chairman Nawacki does not agree with Bydgoszcz court decisions, he should formally appeal against them.
"However, there is no law allowing freely and arbitrarily disregard such verdicts, which are valid and binding," he explained.
"The fight continues," Juszczyszyn added.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24 Pomorze