PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 77795/01) against the Republic of Poland lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by a Polish national, Mr Janusz Orzechowski (“the applicant”), on 14 August 2001.

The Polish Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mr J. Wołąsiewicz of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On 26 August 2005 the Court decided to communicate the application to the Government. Applying Article 29 § 3 of the Convention, it decided to rule on the admissibility and merits of the application at the same time.

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant was born in 1946 and lives in Częstochowa, Poland.

On 30 December 1991 the applicant lodged an application with the Minister of Agriculture (Minister Rolnictwa i Gospodarki Żywnościowej), seeking annulment of the Minister’s decision of 3 February 1950 to expropriate the property of the applicant’s father.

The applicant complained several times to the Minister and the Ombudsman about lack of progress in the proceedings.

On 22 June 1995 the Minister informed the applicant that his application would be examined in the fourth quarter of 1995.

On 6 April 2001 the applicant lodged a complaint about the Minister’s inactivity with the Supreme Administrative Court (Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny).

On 15 January 2002 the Supreme Administrative Court ordered the Minister to deal with the applicant’s case within 2 months.

The Minister failed to do so and, on 16 April 2002, the applicant lodged a further complaint with the Supreme Administrative Court about the Minister’s inactivity. The court examined his complaint on 18 February 2003.

In the meantime, on 19 April 2002, the Minister stayed the proceedings. He found that it was necessary to obtain a geodetic expert opinion. The Minister upheld his decision on 10 July 2002.

On 10 March 2004, upon the applicant’s request, the Warsaw Regional Administrative Court (Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny) quashed both decisions as inadmissible in law.

On 27 September 2004 the Minister of Agriculture gave a decision. He found that the decision of 3 February 1950 was not in accordance with law. However, he refused to restore the property to the applicant.

On 18 October 2004 the applicant made an application to the Minister for the matter to be reconsidered (wniosek o ponowne rozpatrzenie sprawy).

The Minister upheld his original decision on 6 April 2005. On 28 April 2005 the applicant lodged an application for compensation for the loss of his estate.

The Minister granted the request on 3 October 2005. The applicant was awarded 146,996 Polish zlotys in compensation.