Extrajudicial chamber to decide over judge's immunity in Poland

A disciplinary chamber today convened to bring its decision in the case against Warsaw district court judge Igor Tuleya. Tuleya had previously been stripped of his judicial immunity and the case against him has been brought on by the Public Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro who is also the Minister of Justice and a close ally to the ruling Law and Justice party. The prosecutor has brought criminal charges against Tuleya for admitting journalists to an announcement of a ruling in a case he presided over. The disciplinary chamber has however been deemed illegal by the European Court of Justice because its judges have been politically appointed. Should Tuleya be found guilty the ruling could possibly jeopardise EU funding to Poland because of the threat of the independence of the judiciary and the erosion of democratic principles.