Re a method for honest reform

The court case concerning the Amber Gold bankruptcy lasted approximately three years. The court now expects to spend four months reading out its judgement. Is it possible to keep a straight face before the Polish courts ?

A court reading out its judgement over four months is a travesty. If we keep going at this rate, penalties expected in this or other high-profile cases will become the object of wagers down at the local bookies’. Of course, we can’t blame the presiding judge – it’s not his fault that, the way the Polish law of criminal process is formulated, judges are called upon to prove themselves reading long texts out loud in a clear, steady voice. But the proverbial buck has got to stop somewhere, and the criminal procedure rules which leave the courts at the butt of unkind jokes must have come from somewhere. Whatever the cause, organisation of the Polish courts does not make life easier for the judges or for the complainants and defendants, and the judges could up their game as well. (…)

Full text is available (in Polish) in Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (4.06.2019). If you are interested in an English-language version contact us: kontakt@gessel.pl