Head of National Judiciary Council resigns

The chair of the National Judiciary Council, a body charged with nominating judges and reviewing complaints made against them, has stepped down from his post.

The Council (KRS), which was created by Poland’s Law and Justice government, has been at the centre of an international controversy owing to allegations that it poses a threat to judicial independence and rule of law.

Last week the KRS attempted to dismiss Leszek Mazur, its now former chair, in a move that was contested by the Polish Supreme Court.

Małgorzata Manowska, the court’s president, said she had asked for a legal opinion on the attempted dismissal. It was reported on Monday that, according to the resulting opinion, the dismissal of Mazur was unlawful.

Aleksander Stępkowski, the supreme court’s spokesman, said that due to the resignation, the Supreme Court’s president will convene a sitting of the KRS on January 29.

Until the election of a new chief of KRS, Manowska will chair its sittings.

Last month the Supreme Court concluded that the KRS’s independence was not guaranteed, although this was contested by Mazur.