Poland's justice ministry launches probe into alleged manipulation of Constitutional Tribunal panels

Poland's national prosecutor initiated a criminal investigation into repeated abuses of power by judges of the Constitutional Tribunal, focusing on unlawful alterations to the Tribunal's panels in terms of membership and number of judges. The probe, filed under case number 1001-14.Ds.38.2026, stems from a complaint submitted by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, which alleges that the changes breached the 2016 Constitutional Tribunal Act and the Tribunal's own procedural rules.

The alleged modifications included shifting from full-bench panels to three- or five-member groups without legal basis. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek posted on X, blaming the United Right coalition for destroying the Tribunal's impartiality to serve short-term political interests and vowed that every decision harming institutional independence would be scrutinized. He also noted that the alleged misconduct could have occurred in up to 200 proceedings. The ministry emphasized its commitment to uphold the rule of law and protect the autonomy of state bodies.