Poland orders detention in absentia of former justice minister, granted asylum in Hungary

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - A Warsaw court has ordered the pre-trial detention in absentia of former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who has been living in Hungary since October, according to media reports on Friday.

Investigators have long accused Ziobro of committing 26 offences when he was one of the most influential figures in the previous Law and Justice (PiS) party administration, which governed Poland between 2015 and 2023, TVP World reported.

Hungary has granted asylum to Ziobro, who is facing multiple charges in Warsaw, his lawyer said last month.

Ziobro “has obtained international protection and political asylum in Hungary in connection with violations of rights and freedoms on Polish territory guaranteed by international law,” Bartosz Lewandowski wrote on US social media company X on Jan. 12.

The order for pre-trial detention in absentia paves the way for the issuance of a European arrest warrant for Ziobro.

The accusations include leading an organized criminal group that allegedly misused 150 million zloty ($41.9 million) from the Justice Fund, a state program intended to support victims of crime.

“The court confirmed that the evidence collected during the investigation indicates a high probability that the suspect Zbigniew Z. committed 26 crimes, including founding and leading an organized criminal group and complicity in the misappropriation of funds from the Justice Fund,” the National Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on Thursday.

Ziobro was granted asylum in Hungary a week after two Polish citizens, whose identities remain unknown, were also granted asylum by Budapest, a move that further strained bilateral relations.

The decision followed Hungary’s earlier move to grant asylum to Marcin Romanowski, a former deputy justice minister wanted by Polish prosecutors on 11 charges ranging from alleged abuse of power to the misappropriation of public funds.

In response, Poland summoned the Hungarian envoy and formally expressed its opposition to the asylum decisions.

In written comments sent to Anadolu on Jan. 30, a spokesperson for the Polish Foreign Ministry reiterated that Poland had expressed regret over the recent steps taken by the Hungarian authorities.

The spokesperson said the moves "adversely affect" bilateral relations between Budapest and Warsaw and "undermine" the principles of European solidarity.