Polish judges face disciplinary charges over ‘hater affair’ scandal

Poland’s Ministry of Justice has opened disciplinary proceedings against judges Przemysław Radzik, Jacek Iwaniec and Paweł Puchalski. The ministry alleges that Iwaniec and Puchalski participated from February 2018 to April 2020 in organized actions aimed at discrediting other judges, including the illegal acquisition and private emailing of personal data – birth dates, family information, career details and salary components – to unauthorized recipients. Judge Radzik is accused of violating the dignity of his office by leaking confidential information obtained in the performance of his duties and publishing defamatory content about other judges.

The investigation stems from the “hater affair”, which became public in summer 2019 after media reports linked former deputy justice minister Łukasz Piebiak to a WhatsApp group called “Kasta” that coordinated attacks on certain judges. Following the revelations, Piebiak resigned and Iwaniec was removed from a delegation to the Ministry of Justice. The disciplinary notice details specific instances of document photography, sharing of “green folders” containing personal files, and the distribution of notes and handwritten résumés to unauthorized individuals.