7.  The applicant was born in 1959 and lives in Lublin, Poland. 8.  On 1 February 1999 the Bielsko-Biała District Court (Sąd Rejonowy) ordered that the applicant be remanded in custody in view of the reasonable suspicion that, acting in an organised group, he had committed fraud. The applicant appealed against this decision, but on 19 March 1999 the Bielsko‑Biała Regional Court dismissed the appeal, finding that his detention was necessary to ensure the proper course of the proceedings. 9.  On 13 April 1999 the Lublin Regional Court (Sąd Okręgowy), to which the case was in the meantime transferred, further prolonged the applicant’s detention. The court relied in particular on the complexity of the case, the need to obtain expert opinions and the seriousness of the charges against the applicant. In addition, the court considered that there existed a danger that the applicant, if released, would obstruct the process of collection of evidence.
The applicant appealed. On 20 May 1999 the Lublin Court of Appeal (Sąd Apelacyjny) dismissed the appeal. 10.  By a decision of 16 June 1999 the Lublin Court of Appeal further prolonged the applicant’s detention on remand. The court considered that the reasons for which the detention had been ordered still existed and that the prosecuting authorities continued the process of obtaining evidence. The applicant’s appeal against this decision was dismissed on 29 July 1999 by the Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy) relying on the strong suspicion against the applicant and on the complexity of the case. 11.  In September 1999 the applicant was indicted before the Biskupiec District Court. The bill of indictment, directed against the applicant and one co‑accused, concerned 16 counts of fraud allegedly committed by them between July and September 1997. 12.  On 17 September 1999 the Biskupiec District Court prolonged the applicant’s pre-trial detention relying on the strong suspicion against the applicant and the severity of the anticipated sentence. The court further stated that there was a risk of absconding, in particular, with regard to the second co-accused. The applicant appealed but his appeal was dismissed by the Olsztyn Regional Court on 15 October 1999. 13.  On 14 March 2000 the Biskupiec District Court further prolonged the applicant’s detention. The court found that the grounds for the detention given in previous decisions were still valid. On 31 March 2000 the Olsztyn Regional Court dismissed the applicant’s appeal against this decision. 14.  At an unspecified later date the applicant requested his release. By decisions of 25 April 2000 and of 10 May 2000, the Biskupiec District Court, rejected his requests, considering that the grounds for detaining the applicant still remained valid. 15.  By a decision of 28 June 2000 the Biskupiec District Court prolonged the applicant’s detention until 30 November 2000. The court repeated the reasons given previously. On 14 July 2000 the Olsztyn Regional Court dismissed his appeal against this decision finding that the period of his detention was not excessive. 16.  The first trial hearings scheduled for 11 and 12 April 2000 were adjourned as the applicant’s lawyer failed to appear before the court. The court appointed another lawyer for the applicant. The trial started on 8 November 2000. 17.  At the hearing held on 21 November 2000 the Biskupiec District Court prolonged the applicant’s detention until 31 January 2001. The court stated that the reasons justifying the applicant’s detention remain valid. The trial court held the hearings on 12 December 2000 and 16 January 2001. 18.  By a decision of 31 January 2001, upheld by the Olsztyn Regional Court on 9 February 2001, the Biskupiec District Court prolonged the applicant’s detention until 31 May 2001, finding no grounds on which to order his release under Article 259 of the 1997 Code. The trial court further established that the process of hearing witnesses was incomplete and consequently retaining the applicant in custody was necessary to secure the proper conduct of the proceedings. The court also held that the measure was justified by the severity of the anticipated sentence and the danger that the applicant would interfere with the course of the proceedings. 19.  The court held hearings on 20 February, 27 February, 28 March, 24 April and 29 May 2001. From December 2000 till May 2001 the court heard over 60 witnesses. 20.  On 9 April 2001, 30 April 2001 and 14 May 2001 the Biskupiec District Court rejected other requests for the applicant’s release. 21.  On 31 May 2001 the Biskupiec District Court prolonged the applicant’s detention until 31 July 2001 repeating the grounds given on the previous occasion. The applicant appealed. On 20 June 2001 the Olsztyn Regional Court dismissed his appeal and upheld the contested decision. 22.  On 26 June 2001 the Biskupiec District Court convicted the applicant of 16 counts of fraud and sentenced him to 5 years’ imprisonment. The applicant lodged an appeal. 23.  On 22 January 2002 the Olsztyn Regional Court held a hearing in the appellate proceedings, at which the applicant’s lawyer was present. The court dismissed the applicant’s appeal and upheld the contested judgment. 24.  The applicant lodged a cassation appeal but on 28 November 2002 the Supreme Court dismissed his cassation appeal as unsubstantiated.