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A corruption trial began Thursday in Poland for 43 defendants, including judges and ministry officials, accused of running a criminal scheme that allegedly siphoned millions in public funds from the Kraków Court of Appeal.
Prosecutors allege that between 2001 and 2016, the criminal organization led by then-court director embezzled nearly 35 million zloty ($9.32 million) through bogus contracts and shell companies, according to news outlet Rzeczpospolita.
The accused include the Court of Appeal’s former president, former chief accountant, and a former deputy director of the Ministry of Justice’s Budget Department. Several private contractors are also among those charged.
The trial comes five years after prosecutors filed the main indictment in April 2020. The proceedings faced repeated delays due to pandemic restrictions and the complexity of the case, which includes more than 300 volumes of evidence. Despite logistical concerns, the Supreme Court declined to relocate the case from Rzeszów.
Initially, 57 individuals were indicted across several related cases. The main case now includes 46 defendants facing 146 charges, primarily for participating in an organized criminal group, embezzlement of public funds, and money laundering. Investigators estimate that at least 16.5 million zloty ($4.4 million) was laundered.
Since 2021, several defendants—including a judicial procurement head—have accepted plea deals. The separate trial of the former court president, which was held behind closed doors and suspended in 2019, has since been merged into the main case.
The current trial structure was finalized in early 2024. Judge Tomasz Mucha said multiple reassignments were needed as defendants continued to plead guilty, requiring new judges to review the extensive case files. The final three-judge panel was assigned earlier this year, with hearings scheduled monthly through January 2027.
Separate proceedings are ongoing for 10 former directors of courts in Kraków and Wrocław, who are charged with accepting bribes totaling 867,000 zloty ($230,826).
