Stępień: The procedure should start; the regulations specify how to bring the president before the State Tribunal
– The procedure in parliament should begin. The regulations specify how the president can be brought before the State Tribunal – said prof. Jerzy Stępień, former president of the Constitutional Tribunal, commenting on Andrzej Duda’s New Year’s address.
– I would like to say it clearly: those in power can reform public media, but it must be done in accordance with the law. I have always been open to such discussions regarding legal changes. However, from my side there will never be consent to breaking the constitution. And this is the situation we are currently facing, unfortunately, said Andrzej Duda in his New Year’s message.
Piotr Kraśko asked the former president of the Constitutional Tribunal on TVN24 what the penalties were for violating the constitution. – The State Tribunal is threatened. I think there were two such cases, but I must admit that there has never been a case where a really prominent person, from the front line of politics, appeared before the State Tribunal – replied Jerzy Stępień and pointed out that the president should demonstrate in which points the prime minister violated the constitution.
Jerzy Stępień: The president should show where the constitution was violated
– If, for example, we say that the president is violating the constitution, we refer to the ruling of the Constitutional Tribunal, which clearly indicated what constitutional norms were violated. If we are talking about a pardon that could not have any effect, we refer to the content of the relevant article in the constitution, which mentions the right of pardon, Stępień noted.
Piotr Kraśko asked “if something should not result from this (the president’s words – ed.).” – First of all, the procedure should start in the parliament itself. The regulations specify how the president can be brought before the State Tribunal, said the former president of the Constitutional Tribunal.
The journalist wanted to know what would happen if the president accused the prime minister. – If the president does not show where the constitution was violated, we will throw up our hands and say: we have an imperfect legal system that has been contested in such a way that the most important people in the state do not bear any responsibility. It was like that during the April Constitution, it was like that when Piłsudski was alive and it’s the same now. This has to be stopped sometime, he emphasized.
