Lawmakers in Poland’s ruling pro-European Union coalition have initiated a rare process to bring the central bank chief before a special court on allegations of acting against the country’s financial interests. This could result in him being banned from political life. Critics of the effort argue that the ruling coalition is going too far in an attempt to reverse the actions of Poland’s previous right-wing government, which were perceived as undemocratic. The coalition, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, filed a motion at the parliament office to bring National Bank of Poland chief Adam Glapiński before the State Tribunal, which is responsible for trying top state officials. The process could lead to Glapiński being stripped of his post and banned from all state positions.
One of the authors of the motion, Tomasz Trela, referred to Glapiński as the “worst head of the National Bank of Poland since 1989” and accused him of turning the bank into a political and campaigning tool of the previous government. A bank board member, Pawel Szalamacha, criticized the motion, labeling it as an “attempt at breaking the independence of the central bank” and warning of potential consequences for the Polish state and economy. Glapiński, appointed in 2016 by the conservative Law and Justice party, is currently serving his second term. Allegations against him include unlawful funding of the state deficit, weakening the national currency before elections, acting in the interest of Law and Justice, and approving large bonuses for himself.
A lawmaker from the far-right Confederation party, not part of the ruling coalition, expressed skepticism about the motion to bring Glapiński before the tribunal. Przemyslaw Wipler mentioned that many central bank chiefs have made mistakes, and questioned whether the criticisms against Glapiński were severe enough to warrant this action. The motion filed by 191 coalition lawmakers will trigger a special parliamentary committee investigation into the allegations. If found to be substantiated, parliamentarians will have to vote on whether to try Glapiński before the tribunal. The entire procedure is expected to take up to a year to complete. Since its establishment in 1921, the State Tribunal has only heard four cases, resulting in two defendants being banned from political life.
Overall, the decision to bring the National Bank of Poland chief before the State Tribunal has sparked controversy in Poland. Supporters of the motion argue that it is necessary to hold accountable those who act against the country’s financial interests, while critics accuse the ruling coalition of using the tribunal to target individuals associated with the previous government. The outcome of this process could have significant implications for the future of the central bank and the political landscape in Poland. It remains to be seen how the investigation will unfold and what the final decision will be regarding Glapiński’s alleged actions.
