Investigation launched against the President of the Supreme Court in Polonya

The Polonya prosecutor's office has launched a criminal investigation into the President of the Supreme Court, Zbigniew Kapiński, on allegations of abusing his authority. The investigation was initiated following a complaint by other judges at the Supreme Court. Kapiński, however, argues that this move is a "coordinated political action" against him. This dispute represents the latest phase of a broader conflict between judges appointed during the former nationalist-conservative Hukuk ve Adalet (PiS) government and those who view PiS's actions as a violation of the rule of law.

At the center of the dispute is the Ulusal Yargı Konseyi (KRS), responsible for judicial appointments. Before 2017, the majority of KRS members were elected by judges, but PiS transferred this authority to politicians, framing it as a move to increase democratic legitimacy. However, according to numerous Polonya and European court decisions, PiS's reforms rendered the KRS illegitimate by placing it under political influence. As a result, the legality of thousands of judges appointed since that time and all their rulings has been called into question.

Kapiński is one of the so-called "neo-judges" appointed to the Supreme Court by the KRS in 2022. The prosecutor's office is investigating whether he abused his authority by blocking requests to disqualify other "neo-judges" from cases due to doubts about their legal status while serving as the head of the Supreme Court's Criminal Chamber between May 2024 and May 2026. The Ulusal Savcılık, which announced the initiation of the investigation, stated that the case began with a report by Supreme Court judges whose names were not disclosed.

The report was made on 28 May 2026, just three days after PiS-aligned President Karol Nawrocki appointed Kapiński as the President of the Supreme Court. This appointment process had been boycotted by many "old" judges appointed before the restructuring of the KRS. After collecting initial evidence, including witness testimonies and documents, prosecutors announced that there was a "reasonable suspicion of a crime" and that a formal investigation had been launched.

This development further deepens the judicial crisis that has been ongoing in Polonya for years. This clash over the rule of law has also affected the country's relations with the EU and led to the freezing of billions of euros in funds. The investigation into Kapiński is causing new debates within both the government and the opposition, bringing concerns over judicial independence back to the agenda.