PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 31748/06) 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 Eugeniusz Ludwiczak (“the applicant”), on 17 July 2006.

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

On 13 September 2007 the President of the Fourth Section decided to give notice of the application to the Government. It was also decided to rule on the admissibility and merits of the application at the same time (Article 29 § 3).

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant was born in 1945 and lives in Ostrów Mazowiecka.

A. Main proceedings

On 9 November 1992 the applicant lodged with the Ostrów Mazowiecka District Court (Sąd Rejonowy) a claim for payment against his ex-employer, a construction company.

On the same day the case file was sent to the Warszawa District Court which was competent to deal with the subject-matter.

The first hearing was scheduled for 22 February 1993. It did not take place because on 21 December 1992 the Warszawa District Court stayed the proceedings due to the fact that on 3 December 1992 winding-up proceedings had been instituted against the defendant.

On 5 April 1994 the applicant’s claim was entered on the list of claims (lista wierzytelności).

On 27 May 1994 the Warszawa District Court refused to resume the proceedings.

On 18 September 2000 the Warszawa District Court was informed that the winding-up proceedings had been discontinued.

The proceedings were resumed on 6 April 2001. On the same day the case was joined to similar claims lodged against the defendant, and registered under a new reference number. The court adjourned the trial until 1 February 2002.

It appears that between the date when the proceedings were resumed and the day on which the first-instance judgment was given, no hearing took place. The trial was adjourned 11 times on procedural grounds, such as, for example, the appointment of the defendant’s curator then its liquidator, and the need to supplement the evidence and to appoint an expert.

On 24 July 2006 the Warszawa District Court, following the applicant’s motion, appointed a lawyer for the applicant.

On 31 October 2006 the Warszawa District Court gave judgment and discontinued the proceedings in respect of the applicant.

On 18 December 2006 the applicant’s lawyer lodged an appeal. It was rejected by the Warszawa District Court on 9 February 2007 on procedural grounds, i.e. failure to pay the so-called “basic court fee” (opłata podstawowa).

B. Proceedings under the 2004 Act

On 6 December 2006 the applicant lodged with the Warszawa Regional Court (Sąd Okręgowy) a complaint under section 5 of the Law of 17 June 2004 on complaints about a breach of the right to a trial within a reasonable time (Ustawa o skardze na naruszenie prawa strony do rozpoznania sprawy w postępowaniu sądowym bez nieuzasadnionej zwłoki) (“the 2004 Act”) which entered into force on 17 September 2004. The applicant sought a ruling declaring that the length of the proceedings before the Warszawa District Court had been excessive.

On 25 January 2007 the Warszawa Regional Court dismissed his complaint. The court examined the course of the impugned proceedings and held that there had been no delays for which the Warszawa District Court could be held responsible, although it admitted that the proceedings had been lengthy.

On 26 February 2007 the Warszawa Regional Court rejected the applicant’s appeal against the decision of 25 January 2007 as inadmissible in law.
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-90287_a1_e1
001-90287_a1_em1
CODE
DIRECT
31748/06
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-90287_a1_e2
001-90287_a1_em2
ORG
NO_MASK
Republic of Poland
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-90287_a1_e3
001-90287_a1_em3
DEM
NO_MASK
Polish
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001-90287_a1_e4
001-90287_a1_em4
PERSON
DIRECT
Mr Eugeniusz Ludwiczak
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001-90287_a1_e5
001-90287_a1_em5
DATETIME
QUASI
17 July 2006
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001-90287_a1_e6
001-90287_a1_em6
ORG
NO_MASK
Polish Government
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check
001-90287_a1_e7
001-90287_a1_em7
PERSON
QUASI
Mr J. Wołąsiewicz
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001-90287_a1_e8
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DATETIME
QUASI
13 September 2007
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001-90287_a1_e9
001-90287_a1_em9
DATETIME
QUASI
1945
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001-90287_a1_e10
001-90287_a1_em10
LOC
QUASI
Ostrów Mazowiecka
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001-90287_a1_e11
001-90287_a1_em11
DATETIME
QUASI
9 November 1992
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001-90287_a1_e12
001-90287_a1_em12
ORG
QUASI
Ostrów Mazowiecka District Court (Sąd Rejonowy)
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001-90287_a1_e13
001-90287_a1_em13
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a1_e14
001-90287_a1_em14
DATETIME
QUASI
22 February 1993
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001-90287_a1_e15
001-90287_a1_em15
DATETIME
QUASI
21 December 1992
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001-90287_a1_e13
001-90287_a1_em16
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a1_e16
001-90287_a1_em17
DATETIME
QUASI
3 December 1992
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DATETIME
QUASI
5 April 1994
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DATETIME
QUASI
27 May 1994
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001-90287_a1_e13
001-90287_a1_em20
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a1_e19
001-90287_a1_em21
DATETIME
QUASI
18 September 2000
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001-90287_a1_e13
001-90287_a1_em22
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a1_e20
001-90287_a1_em23
DATETIME
QUASI
6 April 2001
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DATETIME
QUASI
1 February 2002
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001-90287_a1_e22
001-90287_a1_em25
QUANTITY
QUASI
11 times
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001-90287_a1_e23
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DATETIME
QUASI
24 July 2006
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ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a1_e24
001-90287_a1_em28
DATETIME
QUASI
31 October 2006
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001-90287_a1_em29
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a1_e25
001-90287_a1_em30
DATETIME
QUASI
18 December 2006
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001-90287_a1_em31
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a1_e26
001-90287_a1_em32
DATETIME
QUASI
9 February 2007
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001-90287_a1_em33
DATETIME
QUASI
6 December 2006
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001-90287_a1_e28
001-90287_a1_em34
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa Regional Court (Sąd Okręgowy)
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001-90287_a1_e29
001-90287_a1_em35
DATETIME
NO_MASK
17 September 2004
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001-90287_a1_e13
001-90287_a1_em36
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a1_e30
001-90287_a1_em37
DATETIME
QUASI
25 January 2007
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001-90287_a1_e31
001-90287_a1_em38
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa Regional Court
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001-90287_a1_e13
001-90287_a1_em39
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a1_e32
001-90287_a1_em40
DATETIME
QUASI
26 February 2007
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001-90287_a1_e31
001-90287_a1_em41
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa Regional Court
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insert
001-90287_a1_e30
001-90287_a1_em42
DATETIME
QUASI
25 January 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-90287_a4_e1
001-90287_a4_em1
CODE
DIRECT
31748/06
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
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001-90287_a4_e2
001-90287_a4_em2
ORG
NO_MASK
Republic of Poland
ETHNIC
insert
001-90287_a4_e3
001-90287_a4_em3
DEM
NO_MASK
Polish national
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001-90287_a4_e4
001-90287_a4_em4
PERSON
DIRECT
Mr Eugeniusz Ludwiczak
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001-90287_a4_em5
DATETIME
QUASI
17 July 2006
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insert
001-90287_a4_e6
001-90287_a4_em6
ORG
NO_MASK
Polish Government
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001-90287_a4_e7
001-90287_a4_em7
PERSON
NO_MASK
Mr J. Wołąsiewicz
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insert
001-90287_a4_e8
001-90287_a4_em8
ORG
NO_MASK
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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001-90287_a4_e9
001-90287_a4_em9
DATETIME
QUASI
13 September 2007
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001-90287_a4_em10
DATETIME
QUASI
1945
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001-90287_a4_e11
001-90287_a4_em11
LOC
QUASI
Ostrów Mazowiecka
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001-90287_a4_e12
001-90287_a4_em12
DATETIME
QUASI
9 November 1992
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001-90287_a4_em13
ORG
QUASI
Ostrów Mazowiecka District Court (Sąd Rejonowy)
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001-90287_a4_e14
001-90287_a4_em14
MISC
QUASI
construction company
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001-90287_a4_e15
001-90287_a4_em15
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a4_e16
001-90287_a4_em16
DATETIME
QUASI
22 February 1993
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DATETIME
QUASI
21 December 1992
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001-90287_a4_em18
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a4_e18
001-90287_a4_em19
DATETIME
QUASI
3 December 1992
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DATETIME
QUASI
5 April 1994
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001-90287_a4_e20
001-90287_a4_em21
DATETIME
QUASI
27 May 1994
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001-90287_a4_e15
001-90287_a4_em22
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a4_e21
001-90287_a4_em23
DATETIME
QUASI
18 September 2000
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001-90287_a4_e15
001-90287_a4_em24
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a4_e22
001-90287_a4_em25
DATETIME
QUASI
6 April 2001
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DATETIME
QUASI
1 February 2002
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DATETIME
QUASI
24 July 2006
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001-90287_a4_em28
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a4_e25
001-90287_a4_em29
DATETIME
QUASI
31 October 2006
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001-90287_a4_em30
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a4_e26
001-90287_a4_em31
DATETIME
QUASI
18 December 2006
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001-90287_a4_e15
001-90287_a4_em32
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a4_e27
001-90287_a4_em33
DATETIME
QUASI
9 February 2007
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DATETIME
QUASI
6 December 2006
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001-90287_a4_em35
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa Regional Court (Sąd Okręgowy)
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001-90287_a4_e30
001-90287_a4_em36
DATETIME
QUASI
17 September 2004
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001-90287_a4_e15
001-90287_a4_em37
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a4_e31
001-90287_a4_em38
DATETIME
QUASI
25 January 2007
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001-90287_a4_e29
001-90287_a4_em39
ORG
NO_MASK
001-90287_a4_em35
Warszawa Regional Court
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001-90287_a4_e15
001-90287_a4_em40
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa District Court
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001-90287_a4_e32
001-90287_a4_em41
DATETIME
QUASI
26 February 2007
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001-90287_a4_e29
001-90287_a4_em42
ORG
NO_MASK
Warszawa Regional Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-90287_a4_e31
001-90287_a4_em43
DATETIME
QUASI
25 January 2007
Eugeniusz Ludwiczak
POL
CHAMBER
Task: Annotate the document to anonymise the following person: Eugeniusz Ludwiczak