Administrative Court rules ZUS has to reveal information on its debtors

The Social Insurance Company (ZUS) cannot withhold information from the public about its debtors according to a ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court (NSA) yesterday. In November 1999, the daily Dziennik Polski asked ZUS for information on the companies which owed the most in unpaid social insurance premiums, saying this information should be made public. The ZUS president denied the request, saying the social insurance law contains a specific list of entities entitled to obtain such information, including courts, prosecutors, and tax offices, but not the press. Dziennik Polski appealed to the NSA, and yesterday the Court made its ruling based on the Constitution, which allows for broad access to public information. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p 6) T.J.