Bogdan Święczkowski suspended from duties at the Constitutional Tribunal

In brief

• Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska ordered an immediate suspension of Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski's duties.
• She linked the move to the tribunal's 2027 budget and has called a General Assembly of judges for 3 November.
• Police were deployed at the building, and President Nawrocki cut short a trip to Senegal and returned to Warsaw.
• Ambassador to China Jakub Kumoch resigned, citing events in the country.

Suspension ordered on Friday

Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, one of the judges elected by the Sejm who has not yet taken the oath in the president's presence, told TVP Info that she had issued an order suspending Bogdan Święczkowski's official duties with immediate effect (Zamieszanie wokół Trybunału Konstytucyjnego. Anna Korwin-Piotrowska o „stanie wyższej konieczności konstytucyjnej” – RMF24). She said the same order applied to judge Bartłomiej Sochański. Media reported that the order covered the tribunal's president and vice-president (Pilne spotkanie w Pałacu Prezydenckim po wydarzeniach w Trybunale Konstytucyjnym – RMF24).

Police carried out statutory actions at the tribunal on Friday because of a possible threat to judges. Protesters gathered in front of the building.

Budget dispute behind the order

Korwin-Piotrowska linked the decision to the tribunal's budget. She said that by keeping judges from adjudicating, Święczkowski made it impossible to pass the court's revenue and expenditure plan for 2027. She described the current moment as the last chance to convene a General Assembly of TK judges and adopt the budget.

Reactions and the presidency

President Karol Nawrocki cut short a flight to Senegal and returned to Warsaw on Friday evening.

Ambassador to China Jakub Kumoch resigned on Friday, citing events in the country and asking for his formal recall (Chaos w TK. Ambasador w Chinach rezygnuje – Wirtualna Polska) (Akcja policji przed Trybunałem Konstytucyjnym. Jakub Kumoch podał się do dymisji – Wprost).

Sławomir Mentzen, leader of Konfederacja, called on Nawrocki to convene the National Security Council urgently and warned that Poland was close to a coup (Mentzen bije na alarm. "Jesteśmy na progu zamachu stanu" – Wirtualna Polska).