Poland’s Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a complaint by the country’s previous ruling party against the rejection of its 2023 financial statement, a decision that had deprived it of million of euros in subsidies.
The decision of the Chamber of Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs could lead to the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which is now in opposition, receiving a full subsidy payout of 78 million zlotys (€18.4 million).
This is the second complaint PiS has brought before the Supreme Court, having earlier successfully appealed against the rejection of its 2023 parliamentary election campaign report.
PiS, which ruled from 2015 to 2023, has been accused of using government resources in its 2023 drive for re-election.
In decisions last year, Poland’s National Electoral Commission (PKW) rejected both PiS’s campaign report and its annual report.
Aleksander Stępkowski, one of the Supreme Court Judges responsible for Tuesday’s ruling, told a press conference that the National Electoral Commission would now be “obliged to adopt a resolution accepting this [annual] financial report.”
It is now up to the finance minister, Andrzej Domański of the ruling center-right Civic Coalition (KO) grouping, to transfer the funds to PiS, his political rivals.
Domański has been reluctant to adhere to the court’s rulings and has so far been holding back a payout resulting from the earlier case concerning PiS’s campaign financing, saying there were doubts about the legality of the Supreme Court chamber.
The current government does not recognize the chamber’s authority, claiming that many of its judges were illegally appointed by the previous administration.
Polish media have speculated that Domański will use the same legal arguments to delay transferring funds in this case as well.
Any delays in unlocking PiS’s funds will have major consequences because of the approaching Polish presidential elections in May.
This is the second complaint PiS has brought before the Supreme Court, having earlier successfully appealed against the rejection of its 2023 parliamentary election campaign report.
PiS, which ruled from 2015 to 2023, has been accused of using government resources in its 2023 drive for re-election.
In decisions last year, Poland’s National Electoral Commission (PKW) rejected both PiS’s campaign report and its annual report.
Aleksander Stępkowski, one of the Supreme Court Judges responsible for Tuesday’s ruling, told a press conference that the National Electoral Commission would now be “obliged to adopt a resolution accepting this [annual] financial report.”
It is now up to the finance minister, Andrzej Domański of the ruling center-right Civic Coalition (KO) grouping, to transfer the funds to PiS, his political rivals.
Domański has been reluctant to adhere to the court’s rulings and has so far been holding back a payout resulting from the earlier case concerning PiS’s campaign financing, saying there were doubts about the legality of the Supreme Court chamber.
The current government does not recognize the chamber’s authority, claiming that many of its judges were illegally appointed by the previous administration.
Polish media have speculated that Domański will use the same legal arguments to delay transferring funds in this case as well.
Any delays in unlocking PiS’s funds will have major consequences because of the approaching Polish presidential elections in May.
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