At 4:30 PM in Stockholm, Olga Tokarczuk will receive the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018. In the evening, a royal banquet will be held in honor of the laureates. The author of, among others, "The Books of Jacob", "Flights", and "Primeval and Other Times" is the eighth representative of Poland to receive the Nobel Prize and the third Polish woman in history. The last such distinction was awarded to Wisława Szymborska in 1996. The award for Tokarczuk is the fifth honor from the Nobel Committee for Polish literature.

At 9:00 AM, the Marshal of the Senate is organizing a press conference before a meeting with the mayors of Warsaw, Łódź, Sopot, and Sosnowiec. The politicians' discussion is expected to focus on a draft bill concerning compensation for local governments.

At 11:00 AM, the chairman of the Senate's local government committee, Zygmunt Frankiewicz, is organizing his own conference. An hour later, a meeting of the team will commence, to which Marian Banaś has been invited. Senators wanted to question him about the accusations made against him. Yesterday, the President of the Supreme Audit Office already announced that he would not appear at the meeting.

Instead, at 10:00 AM, the Supreme Audit Office is organizing a meeting with journalists where it will present further findings from the audit of the "Work for Prisoners" program. Previously, the Supreme Audit Office had reported that only a small portion of the funds from the Justice Fund were actually being allocated to help victims of crime and prisoners nearing the end of their sentences.

At 10:00 AM, the Council of Ministers will convene. The government members will address, among other things, a draft amendment to the act on the principles of conducting development policy and on the commercial quality of agricultural and food products.

At 2:00 PM, President Andrzej Duda will meet with the laureates of the "Masters and Patriots" competition.

Photo: Wydawnictwo Literackie

- I am a proponent of more dynamic debates, however, I adapt to the rules that are imposed. And in the direct, presidential elections a year ago or 4 years ago, the debate was precisely such an element of discussion for me, and about Poznań, or in general, we can now discuss Poland, about the internal situation in the party, but of course, I prefer a situation where we can ask each other questions, but these are rules that are established somewhere between the parties, and I would also wish, for example, to use such a pre-campaign for mini-debates in the regions - stated Jacek Jaśkowiak in a conversation with Konrad Piasecki in TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

- I believe that the roots of Civic Platform, also connected with liberalism and the middle class, mean that Civic Platform should not go in the direction of bidding wars on social benefits. It is doing so today. I am a proponent of speaking the truth and saying the same thing in Świebodzin, in the countryside, and in Warsaw, while there are politicians who believe one should speak in a way that does not offend anyone – stated Jacek Jaśkowiak in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

- 500+ is a very good solution when it comes to poor families. However, regarding wealthy families, I believe it's something that shouldn't happen. It is a form of social support. We need to check what the effect of 500+ has been in terms of the increase in the number of births, because I see this increase in the context of in vitro fertilization, whereas regarding 500+, based on the data we have, that I have, there hasn't been an increase in the number of births yet - stated Jacek Jaśkowiak in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

- This report was being drafted back in the days of Krzysztof Kwiatkowski. We are aware of the post-audit conclusions, which we do not agree with. We also stand by the position that it was politically motivated, for reasons that the numbers will show you regarding the activity. Here we see a comparison between the times of Krzysztof Kwiatkowski when he was Minister of Justice and the times of Minister Patryk Jaki. What were the revenues, the results of enterprises employing people in the Prison Service, and what was the employment of convicts - said Jan Kanthak in a conversation with Wojciech Dąbrowski on Polsat News' "Graffiti".

- I am not Grzegorz Schetyna's candidate. I am not distancing myself. First and foremost, if there are elections now, I want to see the candidates who come forward, I want to see their previous achievements, their vision for the party - stated Jacek Jaśkowiak in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

- Of course, everything can always be done better. However, if it were the media, let's call them, right-wing media, I would somehow understand. If it were center media, I would understand. But the media, which are said to be favorable to the Civic Coalition, severely attacked this debate. Frankly, it surprised me a little – said Tomasz Grodzki in an interview with Krzysztof Ziemiec on TVP1's "Political Quarter Hour".

- A woman from 23 years ago suddenly remembered that she didn't give a bribe, but perhaps someone else did. I suspect who's behind this. It's orchestrated, in my opinion. Local relations from Szczecin. Someone who lost the election to me. Some rather strange councilor from Szczecin. I don't have proof of this, but I repeat, I've finished fending off these media attacks and have moved on to legal action - said Tomasz Grodzki in an interview with Krzysztof Ziemiec on TVP1's "Political Quarter Hour".

- Upon her return, the Prime Minister will invite Ms. Olga Tokarczuk to offer her personal congratulations – stated Michał Dworczyk in an interview with Robert Mazurek on RMF FM. - Now there will probably be many people who will want to congratulate Ms. Tokarczuk. Which is not surprising, as the Nobel Prize is certainly a joy for all Poles and also excellent promotion for our country – continued the Head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister.

„We must respect every candidate, and I think that another candidate [Szymon Hołownia] on the opposition's side means two conditions are met: the first round is certain, and the support for candidates on the other side of the opposition will become increasingly flattened, and then a 2-5% difference might decide whether a given candidate advances to the second round. We are, of course, convinced that this candidate will be Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz” – said Piotr Zgorzelski of PSL-Koalicja Polska in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet.

„Polls five years ago also showed something different; even prominent journalists bet on them, and nothing came of it. What is needed for this above all is work, respect for Poles, and for the candidate not to have the mark of a substitute, but to be a leader who possesses these qualities. Being a leader, being a sovereign candidate – these are the qualifications that Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz fulfills” – he added.

“We are not summoning Mr. Marian Banaś, but inviting him. I don’t know [if there will be a renewed invitation]. In my opinion, he missed a certain opportunity because he had the chance in a substantive discussion to present his case. That is what the Senate is for, as the upper house, as a house that encourages noble deeds, dissuades from wicked ones, and cools emotions. He did not take advantage of this opportunity, so I don’t think we will extend another invitation” – said Marshal Tomasz Grodzki in a conversation with journalists in the Senate.

- They have already paralyzed, PiS has already paralyzed the Constitutional Tribunal, and I'm not even talking about whether we assess if it's constitutional or not, but even if we look at the number of cases or listen to Mr. Wyrembak, who talks about how work in the Constitutional Tribunal looks like, regarding blocking certain projects, selecting panels, etc. In the KNF, the president had to resign due to corruption suspicions also linked to their appointments. What is happening in the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court, we already have an opinion that it is effectively non-existent. The National Council of the Judiciary is practically known to have been elected in violation of the Constitution, there is a Supreme Court ruling on this. Consequently, we have a situation where state institutions are being paralyzed step by step - stated Katarzyna Lubnauer in an interview with Jacek Prusinowski on Radio Plus.

The accusations don't concern me, but I will defend the Prison Service. As usual, it's an easy scapegoat.

A lie, even if repeated a hundred times, will not become the truth. The issue of alleged mobbing in the Prison Service is being sensationalized.

The accusations do not concern me directly, but I will defend the Prison Service, which, as is often the case, is an easy scapegoat.

The issue is being sensationally presented in the media, which, unfortunately, has become common practice. Such situations are being exaggerated to create a public outcry and to generate the impression that something is wrong.

The Prison Service is a large organization, and like any such entity, it can face problems. However, the current narrative is a distortion of reality.

The accusations of mobbing are being politicized and used as a tool against specific individuals and institutions. This is unacceptable and harms the reputation of dedicated public servants.

I will not allow the Prison Service to be unfairly attacked. I will stand up for the officers and employees who work tirelessly to ensure the safety of our society.

We need to have a serious and objective discussion about the challenges within the Prison Service, but this must be based on facts, not on sensationalism and political agendas.

„I can't imagine us sending another invitation, but it's possible we will seek information on the matter, because the issue is serious and poses a certain threat to state institutions. There is no doubt that the President of NIK (Supreme Audit Office) is not subordinate to any commission, so there is no dispute here. It was an invitation, more of an opportunity to clarify doubts in comfortable conditions than a summons for interrogation. That was not the point. We are also aware of our place in the legal system. The letter [from Marian Banaś] is very legalistic, justifying why the President did not accept the invitation” – said Zygmunt Frankiewicz, head of the Senate's Local Government Committee from Civic Coalition, at a press conference. 

- In connection with the Supreme Court's judgment of November 5, 2019, III PO 7/18, which established that the National Council of the Judiciary in its current composition is not an impartial body, independent of the legislative and executive powers, and recognized that the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court is not a court within the meaning of European Union law, and therefore not a court within the meaning of national law, it must be unequivocally stated that the continued activity of the Disciplinary Chamber poses a serious threat to the stability of the legal order in Poland - wrote Małgorzata Gersdorf in a statement published on the Supreme Court website.

"In order to ensure the protection of the rights of participants in court proceedings, as well as considering the need to avoid deepening legal chaos, following the Supreme Court's judgment of November 5, 2019, III PO 7/18, and the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of November 19, 2019, in joined cases C-585/18, C-624/18 and C-625/18, I call on the judges of the Disciplinary Chamber to refrain from any adjudicatory actions in the cases pending before it. At the same time, I appeal for immediate legislative action to resolve the problems underlying the delivered judgments.

It should also be remembered that the continuation of adjudicatory activities by the judges of the Disciplinary Chamber in cases pending before this Chamber may in the future result in Poland having to pay compensation to the parties of these proceedings for violation of the right to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law (cf. judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg of March 12, 2019, in the case Guðmundur Andri Ástráðsson v. Iceland, application no. 26374/18)"

‘Your writing is a testament to the vitality of narrative and the power of language, through which you create and present small and grand stories. Your books respond to the age-old—as old as culture itself—need to retell the fates of the whole world and the individual human being’ – writes President Andrzej Duda in his congratulatory letter.

https://twitter.com/marcin_kedryna/status/1204385357183275009?s=21

Olga Tokarczuk received the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature in Stockholm. The author is the eighth Polish representative to receive a Nobel Prize and the third Polish woman in history. The last such distinction was awarded to Wisława Szymborska in 1996. The award for Tokarczuk is the fifth Nobel Committee recognition for Polish literature.

https://twitter.com/NobelPrize/status/1204438821011697664

To honor the writer's achievement, her photograph is being displayed on the facade of the Presidential Palace today:

https://twitter.com/marcin_kedryna/status/1204433621471440897?s=21

Earlier, congratulations to the Nobel laureate were sent by, among others, President Andrzej Duda and Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński.

- The decision will be made in December. However, we are in a rather comfortable situation, there's no hiding that, because right-wing and centre-right groupings are declaring their candidates who will compete for the right-wing, centre-right electorate. Meanwhile, the Left is last in this queue and therefore has a convenient situation in that our decision is also a decision that plays out on an already set chessboard - said Adrian Zandberg in an interview with Bogdan Rymanowski on the program 'Gość Wydarzeń' (Guest of Events) on Polsat News.

"The program itself, in my opinion, has achieved considerable success because we managed to triple the number of prisoners who are working while serving their sentence, which is a benefit for the prisoners themselves and enables those who owe alimony to repay it. It also has significant social value. Marian Banaś, during his tenure, was unable to conduct an audit and write a report. This is a reference – I am basing this on Patryk Jaki's words – to a report that was completed by the previous president," said PiS Deputy Spokesperson Radosław Fogiel in an interview with Piotr Witwicki on Polsat News.

„The conclusions from that report did not, according to NIK at the time, authorize filing complaints to the prosecutor's office. Everyone has the right to file a complaint with the prosecutor's office. The prosecutor's office will deal with it and resolve the matter. It's hard not to be somewhat surprised that the same report didn't warrant such conclusions a moment ago, but now it does” - said Radosław Fogiel, Deputy Spokesperson for PiS, in an interview with Piotr Witwicki on Polsat News.

- For me, in this case, the Banaś case, I must say that the strangest and completely incomprehensible aspect is how the Minister-Coordinator of Special Services is trying to evade responsibility for one of two things that must have happened. Either because the services failed and were unable to thoroughly vet a person for a very important public office and see what the journalists who described the Banaś case saw, or, what makes one's hair stand on end, the possibility of a situation where this information reached politicians, and then the politicians put it in a drawer and deemed it non-existent – said Adrian Zandberg in an interview with Bogdan Rymanowski on the program "Gość Wydarzeń" on Polsat News.

- The audit concluded in June of this year. It had three laconic inspection reports, which did not mention any criminal offenses. Generally, a good program, but it could have been done better. This was during Krzysztof Kwiatkowski's tenure. Naturally, he felt awkward criticizing this program because he himself, like me, was responsible for prisoner employment when he was the Minister of Justice. He employed nearly three times fewer prisoners than I did - said Patryk Jaki in an interview with Grzegorz Kajdanowicz on TVN24's "Fakty po faktach" (Facts After the Facts).

"I am disappointed because we wanted to give the President of NIK a chance to present his arguments in the committee forum. In the Senate, debate is conducted using parliamentary language, and I certainly saw this as an opportunity for the President of NIK, because it was known from the beginning that he did not have to attend" - said the Marshal of the Senate Tomasz Grodzki in an interview with Monika Olejnik on "Kropka nad i" on TVN24.

„I believe that [Jaki] should explain himself. This is a colossal disaster. It is the fundamental role of the President of the Supreme Audit Office (NIK) – if he states the squandering of public money, and on the scale of tens, if not hundreds, of millions, he has a duty to notify law enforcement agencies” – said the Marshal of the Senate, Tomasz Grodzki, in an interview with Monika Olejnik on the program “Kropka nad i” on TVN24.

- 150 million is something that cannot be proven, in my opinion of course. Perhaps they've seen the prison system in the movie 'Kiler', but I'll tell you this, I have a proposal for them. This is a proposal I'm making here today on the program, and if you claim you can prove these theses that you've presented today, please, I invite you to a public debate. Mr. Banaś and those officials who presented this today. It can even be here in this studio. I am convinced, and we can bet on it, Mr. Editor, that they will not have the courage to do so. And do you know why? - said Patryk Jaki in a conversation with Grzegorz Kajdanowicz on TVN24's "Fakty po faktach".

- I'll tell you why. Because officials aren't meant to appear in public debates on television; at most, they are meant to conduct a thorough audit and then defend those findings, including in the prosecutor's office - the journalist replied.

- In my opinion, this is my opinion, if the report has been known for months and there were no statements within it regarding the commission of a crime or anything, and from this same report the new chairman draws 15 notifications, I repeat, why not 200 notifications, then in my opinion there can only be one thesis. Marian Banaś is trying to undermine the credibility of law enforcement because he has problems with them himself – said Patryk Jaki in an interview with Grzegorz Kajdanowicz on TVN24's "Fakty po faktach".

- All political parties make personnel mistakes, but what matters most is how they react to them. We, as soon as we receive such information, want to solve the problem. Not reward someone, or promote them, as our competitors do. Take Neumann, Gawłowski, etc. for example. - stated Patryk Jaki in an interview with Grzegorz Kajdanowicz on TVN24's "Fakty po faktach" (Facts After Facts).