Head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister Jan Grabiec confirmed on Monday, 2 November, that on Friday he personally approved the passage of judges of the Constitutional Tribunal (TK), elected by the Sejm, through the premises of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (KPRM) to the Tribunal’s seat. The Chancellery of the President points to the responsibility of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
What Grabiec said
As he told TVN24 in „Rozmowa Piaseckiego”, the police and the State Protection Service requested permission to pass, citing the safety of the judges. Grabiec said he had learned of the judges’ plans in advance, and that the decision on timing did not belong to the government: „the judges chose the moment.” This is reported, among others, by RMF24 and WP.
The head of KPRM argued that the arrangement avoided a scuffle. He said the judges had earlier tried to enter through the main entrance and, as he claims, were attacked by demonstrators incited by PiS politicians. According to Interia, Grabiec called the judges elected by the Sejm „heroes” and assured them of his trust. He also added that he and Finance Minister Andrzej Domański had been designated to meet Karol Nawrocki on this matter, but no invitation came.
Response from the Chancellery of the President
The Chancellery of the President published a post on X on Monday morning. It stated that the police entered the TK premises through the back entrance from the KPRM side, so Grabiec „must have approved it”, and that Prime Minister Tusk „must have known” everything. According to KPRP, he is responsible for the situation.
The post appeared before Grabiec’s comments on TVN24, so KPRP relied on media reports. As of publication, there has been no response from it to the head of KPRM’s statements.
Background to the dispute
On Friday, 30 October, a large police force arrived at the TK building in Warsaw. According to media reports, the officers did not enter the Tribunal’s seat itself. Seven judges, including President Bogdan Święczkowski, assessed the events as unlawful, as we reported in our article „Seven TK Judges on Friday’s Events: Completely Unlawful”. The judges elected by the Sejm are to discuss threats to the constitutional order and adopt a resolution on the matter.
Grabiec also said the ruling coalition is aiming for a „constitutional reset”, but does not have the majority needed to amend the constitution. According to him, the coalition is watching with concern the actions of the president, who has not invited the judges elected by the Sejm to take their oath.
What it means
Confirming the approval shifts the dispute from the question „who let the judges in” to the question of political and legal responsibility for the police intervention. The presidential camp will point to the prime minister. The government invokes security considerations. The dispute over who is a legal TK judge in Poland remains unresolved. The next step is the judges’ resolution.
