The decision was made by the remaining members of the council following a parliamentary vote last week to bring Świrski before the State Tribunal, which led to his suspension.
Agnieszka Glapiak was appointed as the new chair of the council, with Hanna Karp named as her deputy, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
The current members of the media regulator include Glapiak, appointed by the lower house of parliament; Karp and Marzena Paczuska, both appointed by the president; and Tadeusz Kowalski, appointed by the upper house.
Świrski’s removal comes amid political tensions over media oversight in Poland. He had faced criticism for alleged failures in executing his regulatory duties and accusations of bias.
Glapiak previously served as head of the Government Information Centre under prime ministers Jerzy Buzek, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz and Jarosław Kaczyński.
She also held senior communication roles in the interior and defence ministries.
Świrski is accused of illegally withholding funds from public media, delaying or denying licenses to private broadcasters, and failing to carry out required audience research.
Appointed in 2022 by the previous parliamentary majority, Świrski has denied all accusations, insisting that his actions were guided by concern for media integrity and adherence to the law.
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.
State audit body NIK said in May 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.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP