Judge stands trial

A Toruń judge, Zbigniew Wielkanowski, repeatedly described by Rzeczpospolita as a notorious lawbreaker, has finally stood on the other side of the bench on charges of making false accusations against journalists. The court has rejected all Wielkanowski's evidence and decided that the trial will be open to the press. Although Wielkanowski will answer to the court on only one charge, Rzeczpospolita points to his close connections with local organized crime rings. In self-defense, Wielkanowski argued that, "the prosecutor has raped the law". In 2000 Rzeczpospolita described an incident in which Wielkanowski beat a man in the street and later persuaded witnesses to withdraw their testimony, which resulted in his being suspended from office. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A3) J.K.