Polish minister criticises Supreme Court head in row over judiciary

FILE PHOTO: European Union and Polish flags flutter in Mazeikiai, Lithuania April 5, 2019. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo

WARSAW (Reuters) - A government minister accused the head of Poland's Supreme Court on Friday of bowing to the demands of "colonial" European Union officials in a row over the independence of the judiciary that could see Warsaw face financial penalties.

Poland's justice minister, the architect of the judicial reforms opposed by the EU, also criticised Brussels separately. He said Warsaw should not bow to "blackmail" and that, while he backed EU membership, it should not come "at any cost".