Odpowiedzialność odszkodowawcza funkcjonariuszy publicznych . w świetle orzecznictwa trybunału konstytucyjnego

The question of the public servants responsibility is a very multifaceted issue. The problem touches not only the area of the constitutional law but also the civil law. Art. 77 paragraph 1 of the Polish Constitution is the base of the public servant responsibility as this article establishes the fundamental postulates of the public authority liability. This constitutional rule creates the right to compensation for any harm which has been done because of the public authority illegal action. The “reflection” of the constitutional norm is included in the art. 417 of the civil code, which states the rules of the State liability in the case of damages made by the public servant. Art. 77 paragraph 1 of the Constitution creates the grounds of the public servants responsibility while art. 417 of the civil code is the concretization of the mentioned constitutional rule. The issue of the public servant liability is composed by the elements which have been the subject of Constitutional Tribunal Jurisprudence interests. That is why the article refers to the questions such as the direct applicability of the art. 77 paragraph 1 of the Constitution, the essence of the compensative responsibility as well as to the entities whose liability is based on the mentioned constitutional rule. The paper concerns also the matter of the damage, including the problem of the compensation range, which can be determined on the base of art. 77 paragraph 1 of the Constitution. It should be stressed that the Constitutional Tribunal jurisprudence do not give the categorical answer to the questions mentioned above. However, the role of the Constitutional Tribunal must be emphasized especially approaching the public servants liability question. Constitutional Tribunal has changed the model of the servant liability because of its judgment passed in 2001. Currently, the illegality of the public servant behavior is the sufficient prerequisite of his liability without the necessity of indicating the public servant guilt.