Publicly funded Hungarian foundation linked to Fidesz provides housing for fugitive Polish politician

Marcin Romanowski, a former Polish deputy justice minister from the Law and Justice (PiS) party, has been living in Budapest since late 2024 after receiving political asylum in Hungary. He faces serious accusations in Poland of misusing public funds through the Justice Fund. Meanwhile, prominent figures in Fidesz-linked organizations – heavily financed by Hungarian taxpayer money – have provided him with both a job and housing in the Hungarian capital, EUalive’s partner Átlátszó reveals.

The Polish accusations

Polish authorities accuse Romanowski and his former superior, Zbigniew Ziobro (ex-justice minister), of orchestrating the diversion of roughly 15 billion forints (several hundred million PLN) from the Justice Fund. Originally intended to support crime victims, rehabilitate offenders, and prevent crime, the fund allegedly funneled money to organizations and media outlets connected to their political circle instead.

Examples cited in Polish investigations include grants used to build office spaces for friendly foundations, run anti-abortion campaigns in schools under the guise of crime prevention, and support media projects aligned with PiS and its successor party, Sovereign Poland. One notable recipient, the Profeto foundation, reportedly used funds for TV studios and server rooms rather than victim support centers. A related trial began in early 2026.Romanowski left Poland after a court issued an arrest warrant in December 2024. He was granted asylum in Hungary shortly afterward. Ziobro has also relocated to Budapest with his family.

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

Support from Hungarian pro-government networks

Since April 2024, Romanowski has been employed by the Alapjogokért Központ (Center for Fundamental Rights, abbreviated as AK), a prominent Fidesz-aligned think tank. There, he contributes to the newly created “Hungarian-Polish Freedom Institute,” publishing commentaries critical of Poland’s current government. The institute has limited public reach.

The Center for Fundamental Rights has received more than 18.5 billion forints from the Batthyány Lajos Alapítvány (BLA), a key vehicle for distributing public funds to pro-government civil society and international influence projects. Overall, BLA has channeled over 50 billion forints in recent years to allied organizations, including domestic campaigns and events such as CPAC Hungary.

Romanowski resides in an 81 m² apartment in a condominium in the Buda hills. The property belongs to PD Property Kft., a company connected to the family of lawyer Dániel Párkai. Párkai serves as a board member and co-founder of the Oeconomus Gazdaságkutató Alapítvány (Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation), which has itself received over 2.3 billion forints from BLA.Péter Törcsi, operational director of the Center for Fundamental Rights and president of Oeconomus, plays a central role in the network. His company, Clavis Consulting Kft., is registered at the same address as Romanowski’s apartment.

Törcsi has previous ties to government consulting and the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP), Fidesz’s junior coalition partner.Other entities linked to this ecosystem are also based in the same building, including an association (Initiative Pro Mittel Europa) that relocated its headquarters there around the time Romanowski arrived.

Political backing and public statements

Hungarian officials have openly supported the Polish politicians. At a closed event on December 10, 2024, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reportedly advocated for Romanowski to receive asylum. Balázs Orbán, the Prime Minister’s political director, spoke at a 14 March event in Budapest honoring Polish “sovereignists,” stating that Hungary provides refuge to “nation-loving Poles” after PiS’s 2023 electoral defeat.

Government spokesperson Gergely Gulyás has maintained that Romanowski’s asylum case followed standard procedures and involved no special treatment.

Romanowski has participated in events organized by these groups, including CPAC Hungary in 2025. Ziobro attended a private film screening in Budapest in October 2025.

Broader context

This arrangement fits into a larger web of “sovereigntist” organizations across Central Europe, with connections to groups such as Poland’s Ordo Iuris, regional conservative media projects (including Remix outlets and Scruton cafés funded via BLA), and figures linked to other former leaders, such as North Macedonia’s Nikola Gruevski.

Some elements of this network have previously drawn attention in reports concerning potential foreign influence operations, including past Russian-linked media activities in the region.

The original investigation by Átlátszó in Hungarian can be found here.

Caption: Nameplates at the gate of the apartment building in Buda that served as Romanowski’s home in the summer of 2025, on the right is that of the Oeconomus Foundation. (photo: Átlátszó/Márton Sarkadi Nagy)