Motion for bringing central bank head before State Tribunal ready says PM
Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, has announced that a motion to bring the governor of Poland’s central bank before the State Tribunal is ready and will be filed with the court in the coming days.
The government has accused Adam Glapinski of putting political loyalties before the interests of the Polish economy during the years of the previous Law and Justice government, which was in office from 2015 till December last year.
In particular, the government has claimed Glapinski cut interest rates ahead of last October's general election, despite inflation remaining high, in order to give Law and Justice a boost in the polls.
"The motion to bring Adam Glapinski before the State Tribunal has been prepared and is ready," Tusk told reporters after a government meeting on Tuesday.
"It will be filed with the tribunal in the coming days," he added.
The submitting of a motion to bring the central bank (NBP) governor before the State Tribunal was an element of "the first 100 days in office" programme presented by the Civic Coalition (KO) before the October 15 election.
But, according to the Monetary Policy Council (MPC), the bank's rate-setting body, bringing Glapinski before the State Tribunal and suspending him from his duties will violate the independence of the central bank and will undermine trust in the stability of the financial system.
The MPC also stated in early March that such a move would have a negative impact on the Polish people and the Polish economy.
The State Tribunal is a body of judicial power charged with holding to account the highest authorities and state officials for possible violations of the Constitution or the law in connection with their positions.
A motion to bring someone before the State Tribunal can be submitted to the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, by the country's president or at least 115 MPs. The proposal goes to the Sejm's Constitutional Responsibility Committee. The committee then submits a report on its work to the Sejm, together with a motion to bring a person before the State Tribunal or to discontinue the proceedings.
The Sejm adopts a resolution on the prosecution of an official before the State Tribunal by an absolute majority of votes (231) in the presence of at least half of the statutory number of MPs. (PAP)
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