Problem zastępstwa procesowego Skarbu Państwa w pierwszej dekadzie Polski Ludowej

This paper deals with an issue of legal representation throughout the history of Poland, with special regard to the first decade after World War II. The Office of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Poland created after the restoration of Poland’s sovereignty in 1918, providing a high quality of legal representation of the State Treasury, was reinstated by the communist authority after World War II in order to secure financial interests of the newly built people’s state. Nationalization of industry, an introduction of centrally-controlled economy, and expansion of the state administrative-economic apparatus to colossal proportions, however, led to a situation in which the centralized model of legal handling of the State Treasury ceased to be efficient. After the abolishment of the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Poland in 1951, the authorities attempted to implement a mixed model of legal representation. However, it only lasted for three years, and eventually, the Soviet model was copied — full decentralization of legal handling of the apparatus of authority, administration, and state-owned enterprises. The decentralized model of legal management of the State Treasury’s interests remained in place unusually long, for over half a century. It outlasted the regime transformation by 16 years. Attempts to reinstate the centralized system of legal representation of the State Treasury were undertaken repeatedly (in 1990, 1992, and 1998). However, it was not until 2005, when the political climate was ready for this reform and the appointment of the Office of the Prosecutor General of the State Treasury, which resumed its activity in March 2006.