Judge who says she now leads Poland's Constitutional Tribunal suspends its president and deputy; Nawrocki cuts short Senegal trip

What happened: At about 5pm GMT on Friday 30 October, a notice appeared on the website of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal saying a one-month break in duties had been ordered for president Bogdan Święczkowski and vice-president Bartłomiej Sochański. Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska told TVP Info she issued the orders as the longest-serving judge, who stands in for the president under the 2016 Tribunal law. She cited, among other things, obstruction of a General Assembly on the Tribunal’s 2027 budget and the exclusion of judges elected by the Sejm. She said a disciplinary court will decide whether the suspensions stand, and that she has called a General Assembly for 3 November.

The dispute: The Tribunal’s X account called it “an unlawful takeover” of its website, said Święczkowski remains president and said Korwin-Piotrowska “is not a judge”. Reuters said a long-running dispute has effectively paralysed the court. Legal experts differ: Prof. Marcin Matczak said there is no legal basis for the suspensions, while former Tribunal president Jerzy Stępień sees formal grounds, Rzeczpospolita reported.

Prosecutors: Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek said he filed five requests to lift the two men’s immunity (four for Święczkowski, one for Sochański), totalling 224 pages with 50 volumes of files. Korwin-Piotrowska said the suspensions are separate from those requests.

Outside the court: Police said officers were on the grounds but not inside the building. They said objects were thrown at them and that they detained three people who climbed the fence. Kaczyński, who spoke outside the court, called it an attack on the Tribunal on X and said Poland “is becoming a police state”. Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote that restoring the rule of law “requires decisive action”.

The president: At about 5:12pm GMT Nawrocki wrote on X: “At a moment like this, the President must be in Poland. I am cutting short my flight to Senegal. I am returning.” Paweł Szefernaker, head of the president’s cabinet, said he would meet Supreme Court First President Zbigniew Kapiński on his return. His arrival had not been reported at 7:50pm GMT.

As of 7:50pm GMT on Friday 30 October.