We are an independent, apolitical and self-governing association of Polish judges.
Our main mission is to defend freedom and civil rights, which are the democratic foundations of Poland - a member of the the European Union.
We have been operating for more than 25 years, also as part of different international organisations of judges. We associate over 3,500 judges, most of them in Poland.

Independent judge acquitted of disciplinary charges. New NCJ enters the game

25th November 2022, 20:06

The National Council of the Judiciary will appeal against the court's verdict that acquitted Judge Dorota Zabludowska of charges of failing to uphold the dignity of her office. The case concerns the award of the Medal of Equality that she received in 2018 from the late Mayor of Gdańsk Paweł Adamowicz. However, the case does not end there. The prosecution's appeal has been overtaken by the new NCJ.

At the beginning of September this year, the disciplinary court in Bialystok acquitted Judge Dorota Zabludowska of the Gdansk District Court, emphasising that her behaviour was "model".

The issue of the case were allegations made against Zabludowska by the central disciplinary commissioners. In their view, by accepting an award from the Gdansk local government for defending human rights, the judge had allegedly "accepted a financial gratification".

New NCJ disagrees with acquittal

On Friday 25th  November 2022, the new politically appointed NCJ decided that it would appeal against the acquittal of Judge Zabludowska, to her detriment.

- I did not expect anything else from the neo-NCJ. I am therefore not surprised. Which does not change the fact that I consider such actions to be part of a campaign to harass judges standing up for the rule of law," she tells Onet.

- Neo-judges will decide for themselves. A row is brewing at the Supreme Court

The award went to a social cause

At issue in the case is an award from the Gdansk local government that Judge Zabludowska received from the late Pawel Adamowicz in December 2018. She kept the symbolic Equality Medal, while she donated the financial part to social causes.

Despite this, the disciplinary ombudsmen appointed by Zbigniew Ziobro charged the judge with "failing to uphold the dignity of her office" because she allegedly accepted a "financial gratification from the accused". This defendant was said to be the late Mayor of Gdańsk.

After the court's verdict, Zabludowska's deputy disciplinary commissioner for discipline, Michał Lasota, was to announce that he intended to appeal the decision. However, he was overtaken by the new NCJ, who intends to lodge an appeal in this case itself, acting to the detriment of an independent judge.

Original text