The former Polish Minister of Justice, Zbigniew Ziobro, wanted in his country on suspicion of corruption and belonging to a criminal organization, has left Hungary and is now in the United States, he himself confirmed on Sunday in an interview. “I arrived yesterday,” said the politician from the far-right Law and Justice party (PiS) to the Telewizja Republika channel before describing Donald Trump’s US as “the strongest democracy in the world.”
The Polish Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Ziobro, 55, for 26 alleged crimes. Among them, belonging to a criminal organization and embezzlement of funds worth approximately 40 million dollars (34 million euros).
Prosecutors say that if found guilty, he could face up to 25 years in prison. Ziobro has called the accusations “absurd” and claims to be a victim of political persecution.
Ziobro fled to Hungary last year along with his deputy prime minister, Marcin Romanowski, where both received political asylum from then Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who lost the elections spectacularly just a month ago. Both belong to PiS, the party that governed Poland between 2015 and 2023.
Hungary’s new prime minister, Péter Magyar, had already indicated that his government would stop offering protection to both politicians.
Without passport
Ziobro’s departure threatens to strain relations between Poland, Hungary, and the United States. The current Polish Minister of Justice, Waldemar Öurek, has warned that Warsaw would request clarifications from both countries about the legal basis that allowed Ziobro to leave Hungary and enter the United States without the necessary documentation.
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had declared Ziobro’s passport invalid after his flight to Hungary. Öurek also announced that Poland would submit an extradition request to the United States.
Already from the United States, Ziobro has stated that he is not afraid of judicial proceedings in that country. “An independent US court is, without a doubt, an independent court, so if they want to start an extradition process, let them do it,” he said.
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