Today in Brussels, during a meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI), an exchange of views took place with Justice Minister Adam Bodnar on the priorities of the Polish presidency. PiS MEPs Tobiasz Bocheński, Dominik Tarczyński, and Arkadiusz Mularczyk took the floor during the discussion, questioning the justice minister about his actions that were contrary to the letter of the law.
Tobiasz Bocheński stated: “We are deeply moved, Minister, that in the fourth month of the six-month presidency, you have honored us with your presence to tell us what goals you intend to achieve—I understand, over the next month and a half. That is very elegant.” Referring to Bodnar’s remarks on the prosecution of war crimes and his use of the term “honest broker,” the PiS MEP questioned Minister Bodnar’s credibility in light of the fact that his immediate superior, the Prime Minister of Poland, had publicly announced that he would not enforce the international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Referring to the fact that the Minister of Justice also serves as Prosecutor General, and taking into account his actions as Minister of Justice, Bocheński wanted to know what contribution he had made to the European acquis over the past six months. “You do not respect the rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal, claiming that this constitutional body does not exist. You selectively recognize the rulings of the ordinary courts. As Prosecutor General, you have failed to prevent illegal actions contrary to Polish law, consisting of the forcible takeover of public media,” Bocheński stated.
The PiS MEP reminded the audience that Poland is governed by the Constitution, international agreements ratified by law, statutes, regulations, and international agreements ratified by regulation. At the same time, as he noted, resolutions do not constitute sources of law, contrary to the view held by Adam Bodnar, who allows state authorities to act on the basis of them. “Even though this is absolutely outside the bounds of the law and contrary to the principle of a democratic state governed by the rule of law as expressed in the Polish Constitution. How credible are you as a minister?” Bocheński asked.
Dominik Tarczyński noted that one of the most important issues during any presidency is European funds. In this context, he referred to the Ministry of Justice’s demand that eight non-governmental organizations return nearly 20 million euros from the Justice Fund due to alleged irregularities. At the same time, he noted, approximately 90 million euros were spent from European funds during the last elections. “What steps have you taken to investigate the money spent from the European Social Fund?” asked the PiS MEP, pointing out that the ESF spends significant amounts on funding non-governmental organizations. “Rumors are circulating in the media, and irregularities are being reported. So I would like to ask, what steps do you intend to take or have you already taken?” he pressed.
Arkadiusz Mularczyk noted that political trials have begun in Poland since Adam Bodnar assumed the roles of Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General, as well as following the illegal takeover of the prosecutor’s office in January. “I would like you to explain what President Andrzej Duda’s position is regarding what you did in January 2024 at the Prosecutor’s Office. Does the President approve of and accept this decision?” Mularczyk asked. “I want you to explain how many investigations you are conducting against the opposition in Poland, and at the same time, how many cases you have dismissed, as Prosecutor General, against your colleagues in the government or in parliament? Why, as a former Ombudsman, do you not respect the rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal that the Prime Minister does not like? Why do you not respect the rulings of the Supreme Court that you or the Prime Minister do not like? Why do you take a selective approach to the law? We see your two faces: one here in the European Parliament, in Europe, and another in Poland,” stated the PiS MEP.
Adam Bodnar responded in general terms, without addressing the specific questions posed by the PiS MEPs, stating that he was there as a “representative of the presidency” and would not comment on local issues. He sidestepped the issue of tens of millions of euros from the ESF allocated to NGOs to support their fight against the Polish and Hungarian governments. He also did not answer questions regarding the Katargate corruption scandal or the status of the investigation into the Huawei corruption scandal, involving one of the largest Chinese companies in the EU. He cautiously stated that the financial scandals “will be investigated.”
