PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 27225/05) against the Republic of Poland lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by a Polish national, Mr Władysław Gajewski (“the applicant”), on 15 July 2005.

The Polish Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mr J. Wolasiewicz of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The applicant alleged, in particular, that the civil proceedings in his case had been unfair and that his claim had not been heard by an impartial tribunal.

On 21 September 2009 the President of the Fourth Section decided to give notice of the application to the Government. It was also decided to examine the merits of the application at the same time as its admissibility (former Article 29 § 3 of the Convention, now Article 29 § 1).

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant was born in 1958 and lives in Rudnik.

On 6 July 1995 the Zamość District Court declared the company “Wojewódzkie Przedsiębiorstwo Przemysłu Mięsnego” insolvent and appointed the applicant (a practising lawyer) as an insolvency trustee. Judge M.B was appointed as an insolvency judge.

On 9 August 2000, the court discharged M.B. from his position and appointed M.S as the new insolvency judge.

On 6 September 2000 the applicant asked the insolvency judge to determine the amount of his remuneration.

At the hearing held on 9 October 2000 the question of payment of the applicant's expenses was examined. The hearing was adjourned since the court decided to wait for an opinion from an expert accountant.

On 11 September 2001 the applicant asked to be granted an advance payment on his remuneration. The insolvency judge – M.S. – submitted that the applicant had already been granted an advance payment of 6,000 Polish zlotys (PLN) and he had already obtained PLN 8,650. In addition, he had obtained, for his alleged expenses, a total of PLN 45,668.32.

At the hearing held on 5 October 2001 the Zamość District Court sitting as a panel composed of three judges, including judge M.S., granted the applicant an advance payment of PLN 6,000.

On 8 April 2002 the applicant applied to the District Court in Zamość and requested the sum of PLN 577,292 as payment for his eight years of trustee duties.

M.S., the insolvency judge, in her submissions to the court (przedstawienie), asked it to grant the applicant remuneration in a lower amount, namely PLN 317,989. She submitted that the applicant had been responsible for a lengthy and expensive liquidation proceedings. She also requested the offsetting of the sum of PLN 200,600 that had already been paid to the applicant in the form of advance payments.

At the hearing held on 28 September 2004 the court heard evidence from the applicant. On 30 September 2004 the Zamość District Court at a session held in camera granted the applicant's request in part, and awarded him 317,989. The sum of PLN 266,318.82 already paid to the applicant was offset from the amount. The bench that gave this decision was composed of three professional judges including both M.B and M.S.

On 18 October 2004 the applicant appealed against this decision. He disagreed with the court's decision in general terms. He further argued that the proceedings had been invalid since the insolvency judge, M.S., had acted both as a claimant and as a member of the court, which called into question the court's impartiality.

On 5 January 2005 the Lublin Regional Court at a session held in camera dismissed the applicant's appeal. The court considered that the first-instance court had correctly calculated the trustee's remuneration, in particular because the applicant was responsible for delays in the proceedings. It referred to the fact that the applicant was heard at the hearing held on 28 September 2004 and he was able to present his arguments. In the court's opinion, judge M.S. was entitled to sit on the bench of the commercial court deciding on the applicant's remuneration, given that the Insolvency Act did not provide for any limitations in this respect.

The applicant filed a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court.

On 3 March 2005 the Lublin Regional Court rejected his cassation appeal as inadmissible in law.

On 16 March 2005 the applicant appealed against this decision. On 14 September 2005 the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal confirming that a second-instance court's decision on trustee's remuneration could not be the subject of an appeal.

Meanwhile, on 10 February 2005 the applicant asked to be paid further partial remuneration in the amount of PLN 66,945 for the period between 7 June 2003 and 6 February 2005.

On 20 December 2005 the Zamość District Court held a hearing in that case. The panel of judges was composed of three professional judges, including judge M.S. The applicant challenged judge M.S. In reply, on 24 March 2006 the Lublin Regional Court ordered judge M.S. to withdraw from the panel. The court noted that the insolvency judge, who had already made her submission regarding the applicant's remuneration, would have pre-conceived notions about the issues in the case.

On 27 April 2006 the Zamość District Court granted the applicant partial remuneration in the amount of PLN 22,000.

On 9 October 2007 the Zamość District Court declared the liquidation procedure to be terminated.
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CODE
DIRECT
27225/05
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001-102381_a4_e2
001-102381_a4_em2
ORG
NO_MASK
Republic of Poland
ETHNIC
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001-102381_a4_em3
DEM
NO_MASK
Polish national
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001-102381_a4_e4
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PERSON
DIRECT
Mr Władysław Gajewski
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001-102381_a4_em5
DATETIME
QUASI
15 July 2005
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001-102381_a4_e6
001-102381_a4_em6
ORG
NO_MASK
Polish Government
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001-102381_a4_e7
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PERSON
NO_MASK
Mr J. Wolasiewicz
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insert
001-102381_a4_e8
001-102381_a4_em8
ORG
NO_MASK
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
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001-102381_a4_e9
001-102381_a4_em9
DATETIME
QUASI
21 September 2009
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001-102381_a4_e10
001-102381_a4_em10
DATETIME
QUASI
1958
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001-102381_a4_e11
001-102381_a4_em11
LOC
QUASI
Rudnik
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001-102381_a4_e12
001-102381_a4_em12
DATETIME
QUASI
6 July 1995
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001-102381_a4_e13
001-102381_a4_em13
ORG
QUASI
Zamość District Court
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correct
001-102381_a4_e14
001-102381_a4_em14
ORG
QUASI
Wojewódzkie Przedsiębiorstwo Przemysłu Mięsnego
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
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001-102381_a4_e15
001-102381_a4_em15
PERSON
NO_MASK
Judge M.B
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001-102381_a4_e16
001-102381_a4_em16
DATETIME
QUASI
9 August 2000
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001-102381_a4_e15
001-102381_a4_em17
PERSON
NO_MASK
001-102381_a4_em15
M.B.
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001-102381_a4_em18
PERSON
NO_MASK
M.S
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001-102381_a4_em19
DATETIME
QUASI
6 September 2000
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001-102381_a4_e19
001-102381_a4_em20
DATETIME
QUASI
9 October 2000
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001-102381_a4_e20
001-102381_a4_em21
DATETIME
QUASI
11 September 2001
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001-102381_a4_e21
001-102381_a4_em22
PERSON
NO_MASK
M.S.
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001-102381_a4_e22
001-102381_a4_em23
QUANTITY
QUASI
6,000 Polish zlotys (PLN)
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001-102381_a4_e23
001-102381_a4_em24
QUANTITY
QUASI
PLN 8,650
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001-102381_a4_e24
001-102381_a4_em25
QUANTITY
QUASI
PLN 45,668.32
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001-102381_a4_e25
001-102381_a4_em26
DATETIME
QUASI
5 October 2001
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001-102381_a4_e13
001-102381_a4_em27
ORG
QUASI
Zamość District Court
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001-102381_a4_e17
001-102381_a4_em28
PERSON
NO_MASK
001-102381_a4_em18
judge M.S.
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insert
001-102381_a4_e26
001-102381_a4_em29
QUANTITY
QUASI
PLN 6,000
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001-102381_a4_e27
001-102381_a4_em30
DATETIME
QUASI
8 April 2002
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001-102381_a4_e13
001-102381_a4_em31
ORG
NO_MASK
001-102381_a4_em27
District Court
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001-102381_a4_e28
001-102381_a4_em32
LOC
QUASI
Zamość
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001-102381_a4_e29
001-102381_a4_em33
QUANTITY
QUASI
PLN 577,292
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001-102381_a4_e30
001-102381_a4_em34
DATETIME
NO_MASK
eight years
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001-102381_a4_e21
001-102381_a4_em35
PERSON
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M.S.
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insert
001-102381_a4_e31
001-102381_a4_em36
QUANTITY
QUASI
PLN 317,989
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001-102381_a4_e32
001-102381_a4_em37
QUANTITY
QUASI
PLN 200,600
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001-102381_a4_e33
001-102381_a4_em38
DATETIME
QUASI
28 September 2004
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001-102381_a4_e34
001-102381_a4_em39
DATETIME
QUASI
30 September 2004
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001-102381_a4_e13
001-102381_a4_em40
ORG
QUASI
Zamość District Court
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001-102381_a4_e35
001-102381_a4_em41
QUANTITY
QUASI
317,989
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001-102381_a4_e36
001-102381_a4_em42
QUANTITY
QUASI
PLN 266,318.82
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001-102381_a4_e37
001-102381_a4_em43
PERSON
NO_MASK
M.B
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001-102381_a4_e17
001-102381_a4_em44
PERSON
NO_MASK
M.S
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001-102381_a4_e38
001-102381_a4_em45
DATETIME
QUASI
18 October 2004
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001-102381_a4_e21
001-102381_a4_em46
PERSON
NO_MASK
M.S.
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001-102381_a4_e39
001-102381_a4_em47
DATETIME
QUASI
5 January 2005
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ORG
QUASI
Lublin Regional Court
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001-102381_a4_em49
DATETIME
QUASI
28 September 2004
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001-102381_a4_em50
PERSON
NO_MASK
judge M.S.
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001-102381_a4_e41
001-102381_a4_em51
ORG
NO_MASK
Supreme Court
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001-102381_a4_e42
001-102381_a4_em52
DATETIME
QUASI
3 March 2005
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ORG
QUASI
Lublin Regional Court
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001-102381_a4_em54
DATETIME
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16 March 2005
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001-102381_a4_em55
DATETIME
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14 September 2005
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001-102381_a4_em56
ORG
NO_MASK
Supreme Court
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001-102381_a4_em57
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QUASI
10 February 2005
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001-102381_a4_e46
001-102381_a4_em58
QUANTITY
QUASI
PLN 66,945
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001-102381_a4_e47
001-102381_a4_em59
DATETIME
QUASI
7 June 2003
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001-102381_a4_e48
001-102381_a4_em60
DATETIME
QUASI
6 February 2005
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001-102381_a4_e49
001-102381_a4_em61
DATETIME
QUASI
20 December 2005
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001-102381_a4_e13
001-102381_a4_em62
ORG
QUASI
Zamość District Court
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001-102381_a4_e17
001-102381_a4_em63
PERSON
NO_MASK
judge M.S.
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001-102381_a4_e17
001-102381_a4_em64
PERSON
NO_MASK
judge M.S.
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001-102381_a4_em65
DATETIME
QUASI
24 March 2006
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001-102381_a4_e40
001-102381_a4_em66
ORG
QUASI
Lublin Regional Court
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001-102381_a4_e17
001-102381_a4_em67
PERSON
NO_MASK
judge M.S.
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001-102381_a4_e51
001-102381_a4_em68
DATETIME
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27 April 2006
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001-102381_a4_em69
ORG
QUASI
Zamość District Court
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001-102381_a4_em70
QUANTITY
QUASI
PLN 22,000
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001-102381_a4_e53
001-102381_a4_em71
DATETIME
QUASI
9 October 2007
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001-102381_a4_e13
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ORG
QUASI
Zamość District Court
Władysław Gajewski
POL
CHAMBER
Task: Annotate the document to anonymise the following person: Władysław Gajewski