A Warsaw court has lifted a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued against Marcin Romanowski, a former conservative deputy justice minister, in a decision that has reignited claims of political pressure being exerted on Poland’s justice system by the left-liberal government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The ruling, delivered on Friday, December 19th, by the Warsaw Regional Court, means Romanowski is no longer sought outside Poland and is free to travel within the European Union.
The decision was announced by his lawyer, Bartosz Lewandowski, who said the court had accepted his application to quash the warrant.
“The Warsaw Regional Court granted my motion and lifted the European Arrest Warrant issued against MP Marcin Romanowski,” Lewandowski wrote on X, adding: “Mr Romanowski may now freely move around EU countries and is no longer pursued outside Poland. Earlier, Interpol refused to issue a red notice.”
An Interpol red notice is a request circulated to police forces worldwide asking them to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, though it does not itself constitute an international arrest warrant.
The EAW was issued exactly a year ago at the request of the National Prosecutor’s Office, then overseen by justice minister Adam Bodnar, after Romanowski travelled to Hungary. Budapest later granted him political asylum, while Interpol declined to circulate a red notice.
According to Lewandowski, the court’s written reasoning is a scathing indictment of the conduct of prosecutors and state authorities, and points to political interference in the case.
He said the court “completely dismantles the proceedings not only of the National Prosecutor’s Office in the investigation concerning Romanowski, but also effectively points to political influence over the investigation and violations of civil rights and freedoms.”
He added that the judges explicitly referred to pressure placed on the courts and cited statements by senior government figures. Lewandowski said the court highlighted “politically motivated pressure on the judiciary.”
A key element influencing the ruling was Interpol’s refusal to issue a red notice, he added.
Romanowski himself welcomed the decision, attacking the government in a post on X. “The narrative of the gangsters Tusk, Bodnar, and Żurek is completely falling apart,” he wrote, referring to the prime minister, as well as the former and current justice minister.
The ruling comes amid a broader political and legal battle between the Tusk government and figures linked to the former conservative government. Former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, currently in Hungary, faces 26 criminal charges and has been warned he could be subject to an EU-wide arrest warrant if he refuses to return to Poland.
Both Ziobro and Romanowski have been accused of misusing public funds during their time in office.
However, it seems more and more obvious that the cases form part of a wider strategy of lawfare aimed at neutralising conservative opponents. The Warsaw court’s decision is likely to intensify scrutiny of how far political considerations have shaped high-profile prosecutions.
Despite the severe rule of law violations committed by the Tusk government, including the arrests of ex-ministers, the lifting of MPs’ immunity, and the seizure of public media and the prosecutor’s office, EU institutions have remained silent—the same EU institutions that had willingly berated the previous conservative Polish government and derived it of EU funds.
