The right to a fair trial in criminal cases in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland

The Constitutionally guaranteed “right to a fair trial” depends on the specific nature of a case which is taken before a court. The paper analyses the real scope of this one of the fundamental human rights in criminal cases. In the first part of the article the concept of “criminal case” is defined on the basis of jurisprudence of the Constitutional Tribunal. Then the objective and subjective scope of the above mentioned right in criminal cases is laid down and analysed its detailed elements: access to court, the right to a fair proceedings and the right to be heard within a reasonable time. The article also points out that the scope of “the right to a fair trial” is different for the victim and the accused according to the model of prosecution procedure. The specific emphasis is placed on to the right to a fair proceedings and the need to balance procedural rights of the parties and the interests of justice. In conclusion it is emphasised that the Constitutional Tribunal does not fully take into account the changes in the criminal law, which could lead to an actual limitation of the entity’s procedural guarantees under an Article 45 paragraph 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland.