Świrski, however, refused to accept the outcome, declaring he will neither step down nor recognize the house’s decision.
The State Tribunal is Poland’s constitutional body that hears cases involving senior officials accused of violating the constitution or laws in the course of their duties. It has the power to impose penalties ranging from removal from office to bans on holding public roles.
The lower house, the Sejm, can pass a resolution to bring an official before the tribunal with an absolute majority, provided at least half of its members are present.
In Friday’s vote, 432 lawmakers took part. The resolution passed with 237 votes, surpassing the required 217. Opposed were 179 lawmakers, while 16 abstained.
Support came primarily from the ruling coalition: 155 members of the Civic Coalition (KO), 30 from the Polish People’s Party (PSL), 30 from Poland 2050, 20 from the Left, and two unaffiliated MPs.
Opponents included 174 members of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, one MP from the far-right Confederation, and four from the Free Republicans group. Fourteen Confederation MPs and two from the far-right Confederation of the Polish Crown abstained.
The vote followed a months-long process launched in April 2024, when then-Culture Minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz accused Świrski of illegally withholding public funds from media outlets not aligned with his political allies.
Sienkiewicz alleged the KRRiT chief had blocked around PLN 300 million (EUR 70 million, USD 85 million) in license fee funding to public media, delayed or denied licenses to private broadcasters including TVN, Tok FM and Radio Zet, and failed to carry out required audience research.
Appointed in 2022 by the previous parliamentary majority, Świrski has denied all accusations.
Speaking to journalists earlier this year, he said his actions were guided by concern for media integrity and adherence to the law.
After Friday’s vote, he insisted the National Broadcasting Council would continue functioning as before, saying he had no intention of stepping down or suspending himself.
He has also submitted a petition to the European Parliament, claiming the Sejm violated Article 30 of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, which requires EU countries to ensure the independence of media regulators.
The parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Accountability began reviewing the case in July last year. After an initial request was sent back for revisions, an amended version was submitted in October.
Nearly 90 witnesses were heard during the proceedings, including state-appointed liquidators of public broadcaster Polish Radio and state television TVP, current and former public media executives, and KRRiT members.
In March, Sienkiewicz also testified before the committee, defending the legality of public media liquidation and citing a ruling from the Warsaw District Court that upheld the government’s actions.
On June 12, the committee approved a final report recommending the Sejm bring Świrski before the State Tribunal. The vote was 11 to 7 in favor, with PiS lawmakers submitting a dissenting opinion calling for the case to be dropped.
PiS MPs had previously petitioned the Constitutional Tribunal to block the proceedings against Świrski. In October 2024, the tribunal issued an interim decision ordering parliament to halt any action related to the case pending a full ruling.
This is only the second time a head of the National Broadcasting Council has faced the prospect of being brought before the State Tribunal. In 2005, a similar attempt was made against Danuta Waniek, but the case was abandoned two years later following a change in government, state news agency PAP reported.
Despite the legal uncertainty, Friday’s vote signals the government’s intent to hold senior officials accountable for actions it considers politically motivated and legally questionable.
The lower-house Speaker is now expected to forward the case to the State Tribunal for formal proceedings.
The state audit body NIK in May said it had notified prosecutors over suspected criminal misconduct by the National Broadcasting Council, after millions in licence fee revenue were placed in a court deposit rather than distributed to public broadcasters.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP