Destroying the independence of an institution like the Constitutional Tribunal is scandalous, Robert Gontarz, spokesman for the Rozwój Plus parliamentary caucus, told PAP, commenting on Friday’s events outside the Constitutional Tribunal’s headquarters in Warsaw.
“What is happening today is scandalous. Sending police onto the grounds of the Constitutional Tribunal is reminiscent of very bad times. Taking such action clearly strikes at this immensely important institution, which should be as far from politics as possible. Three Nobel laureates in economics – Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson – have proven that for a country’s economic development, strong, inclusive and apolitical public institutions, such as the Constitutional Tribunal or the National Central Bank, matter even more than the level of taxes,” Robert Gontarz, spokesman for the Rozwój Plus parliamentary caucus, told PAP.
He stressed that “destroying the independence of an institution like the Constitutional Tribunal is scandalous.” “It will hit all Polish families, contrary to what may seem, that the Tribunal concerns only ‘Warsaw’ matters. The inclusiveness, strength and independence of public institutions also matter for a country’s economic development,” he said.
On Friday afternoon, the Metropolitan Police Headquarters in Warsaw (KSP) said that police officers were carrying out statutory activities on the grounds of the Constitutional Tribunal’s headquarters, but were not inside the Tribunal building. A protest is under way outside the Tribunal’s headquarters. At the same time, the Tribunal’s website posted information about an order for a break in the official duties of its president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and vice president, Bartłomiej Sochański. (PAP)
