Poland’s former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, wanted on several criminal charges in his home country, has fled from Hungary to the United States, local media reported on Sunday.
Ziobro, who received asylum from right-wing ally Viktor Orban’s government last year, faces up to 25 years in prison in Poland.
The charges against him in Poland include abuse of power, leading an organised criminal enterprise and using funds meant for crime victims to buy Israeli Pegasus spyware, allegedly to monitor political opponents.
After Orban’s party was ousted from power in an election in April, Hungary’s new Prime Minister Peter Magyar — who was sworn in on Saturday — said that Hungary would no longer protect people wanted elsewhere.
“Hungary will no longer be a dumping ground for internationally wanted criminals,” he declared at a press conference the day after his victory, naming as examples Ziobro and his former deputy, Marcin Romanowski, suspected of embezzling nearly 40 million euros ($47 million).
Right-wing Polish broadcaster Republika reported on Sunday that Ziobro was in the US, while liberal broadcaster TVN24 published a photo of Ziobro at Newark Liberty International Airport, which it said had been taken by another traveller.
The spokesman for Poland’s foreign ministry did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment on Ziobro’s and Romanowski’s whereabouts.
It is unclear how Ziobro managed to travel to the United States, as Poland had previously said his travel documents — including his Polish and diplomatic passports — had been revoked.
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Poland’s national prosecutor’s office wrote on X that they “do not have data confirming the departure of the suspect… from the Schengen Area” and that “all information emerging in this regard is being verified on an ongoing basis”.
However, Poland’s Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek, told broadcaster Polsat News that “if it is confirmed that Ziobro is in the USA, then (Poland) will request his extradition”.
Later on Sunday, Zurek wrote on X that Poland “will reach out to the USA and Hungary with questions regarding the legal basis that enabled Zbigniew Ziobro to … enter the United States despite lacking valid documents”.
“We will not cease our efforts to ensure that he and Mr. Marcin Romanowski are held accountable before the Polish justice system,” he said.
Ziobro was the leader of the ultra-conservative Sovereign Poland party, a junior coalition partner of the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, and served as justice minister and attorney general between 2015 and 2023.
He is also known as the architect of contentious judicial reforms which sparked a standoff between Poland and the European Commission.
He has rejected the charges against him and has accused the centrist Polish government of conducting a witch hunt against conservatives.
AFP
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