Poland's parliament sets November date for vote on central bank chief's tribunal referral

Poland's lower house will vote in the ​second half of November on whether ​to bring National Bank of ‌Poland Governor ​Adam Glapiński before a state tribunal over accusations of violating the constitution, Parliament Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty said on Tuesday. A parliamentary ‌commission has been working on the case since May 2024 and has heard more than 50 witnesses. Earlier in October it recommended that Glapiński face a tribunal. Glapiński, whose term runs until ‌June 2028, denies the accusations against him, and the central bank says they are "completely ‌unfounded".

"We are planning this vote for the second half of November," Czarzasty said during a press conference. A majority on the committee accuse Glapiński of violating the constitution and statutes by indirectly financing the budget deficit ⁠through asset ​purchases in 2020-21, ⁠conducting such operations without "proper authorisation" from the Monetary Policy Council and politicising the central bank.

By statute, parliament would ⁠need an absolute majority of votes, with at least half of the deputies present, to adopt a motion ​to bring Glapiński before a tribunal. But the Constitutional Tribunal ruled in 2024 ⁠that such a vote would require a three-fifths majority and that bringing a central bank governor before a state ⁠tribunal ​would not automatically lead to them being suspended from office. The government disputes the legality of those rulings.

When asked about the parliamentary majority required to bring Glapiński before ⁠a tribunal, as well as the possibility of him being suspended from office, Czarzasty said: "In due ⁠course I will provide ⁠answers to all the questions that are arising." The lower house of parliament appoints and dismisses the governor of the central bank ‌at the ‌request of the country's president.