Poland seeks European arrest warrant for Ziobro as Hungary shields the former justice minister

Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office has formally asked the District Court in Warsaw to issue a European arrest warrant for former justice minister and ex-prosecutor general Zbigniew Ziobro, intensifying a legal and political standoff that now stretches beyond Poland’s borders and into the heart of the European Union.

The request, reported by RMF24, follows a domestic arrest warrant issued on 5 February after prosecutors brought 26 charges against Ziobro related to alleged violations in the spending of money from the Justice Fund, a pool of public funds overseen by the justice ministry. Prosecutors suspect Ziobro of leading an organised criminal group and embezzling public money, allegations he strongly denies.

According to Polish radio, on 10 February the National Prosecutor’s Office formally moved to have the European arrest warrant issued, noting that Ziobro has been staying in Hungary since October. The former minister himself confirmed on 12 January that he had received protection from the Hungarian authorities, EUalive’s partner European Pradva reports.

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Shortly afterwards, Ziobro’s defence lawyer, Bartosz Lewandowski, announced on X that the Hungarian government had granted his client political asylum. Lewandowski argued that the decision was justified by what he described as politically motivated repression in Poland, allegedly carried out by prosecutors and security services subordinated to the current government.

In his statement, Lewandowski cited what he called the systematic use of law enforcement agencies against political opposition figures, as well as public statements by politicians from the ruling majority suggesting arrests and repression. He also pointed to alleged political pressure on judges involved in cases linked to the Justice Fund investigation, as well as changes in the method of appointing judges to panels, bypassing what he described as the legally guaranteed lottery system.

The lawyer further claimed that the asylum decision was warranted in light of statements by members of the Polish government, including the current justice minister, which he said hinted at the possibility that Ziobro could be kidnapped by security services and illegally transported back to Poland.

Ziobro, who is a politician from the Law and Justice (PIS) party, framed the situation in stark political terms. Commenting on the decision to seek asylum in Hungary, he said he was fighting what he called “political banditry and lawlessness” and resisting an “advancing dictatorship”. According to Ziobro, he has become the target of personal revenge by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his political circle because, as prosecutor general, he initiated investigations into alleged corruption and theft involving his current opponents.

In this context, Ziobro said, he decided to make use of the asylum granted by the Hungarian government due to what he described as political repression in Poland.

Polish prosecutors, however, maintain that the case is strictly criminal in nature. They accuse the former justice minister of abusing his position to commit offences, including instructing subordinates to break the law in order to channel Justice Fund subsidies to selected entities, interfering in tender procedures and allowing funds to be allocated to entities that were not legally eligible to receive them.

The legal conflict has been further complicated by developments in Hungary. In late December, shortly before Christmas, amendments to Hungarian legislation were published in the official gazette. The changes oblige Hungarian courts to refuse to execute a European arrest warrant against a person who has been granted asylum in Hungary.

The amendments, which enter into force on 1 January 2026, stipulate that courts must refuse to execute a European arrest warrant issued by a person’s country of origin if that person has received refugee status in Hungary or another EU member state. The provision also applies in cases where refugee status has formally been terminated but, in the view of the Hungarian authorities, the grounds for it continue to exist, including after the acquisition of Hungarian citizenship.

In practical terms, this means that even if a Polish court issues a European arrest warrant for Ziobro, or for his former deputy Marcin Romanowski, who has also received protection from Budapest, Hungary would not hand them over to Polish authorities.

The legislative changes were adopted without public debate or broader political discussion, despite their potential impact on relations between Budapest and Warsaw. Ziobro himself later acknowledged in an interview with RMF radio that he had been under the protection of Hungarian authorities for several weeks and that refugee status had been granted “just before Christmas”, coinciding with the publication of the amendments.

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The Polish government has reacted sharply. The foreign ministry said it regretted Hungary’s decision to grant asylum to two Polish citizens, arguing that it had harmed bilateral relations. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he was not surprised by the move, implicitly pointing to the close political ties between Ziobro and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

The controversy has also had domestic consequences for Ziobro. On 10 February, Poland’s parliamentary Committee on Rules of Procedure, Deputies’ Affairs and Immunity issued a formal reprimand to him for failing to fulfill his duties as a member of parliament. The decision cited his unjustified absence from Sejm sittings for more than 18 consecutive days. Nine committee members voted in favour of the reprimand, with six voting against.

Caption: Law and Justice Party (PiS) MP Zbigniew Ziobro speaks during the debate ‘Polish Justice – Reform of the Third Power’ on the second day of the Law and Justice party’s program convention at the International Congress Center in Katowice, Poland, 25 October 2025. The convention is held under the slogan ‘Thinking: Poland’. EPA/ART SERVICE