Polish prime minister Donald Tusk was delighted by Péter Magyar’s electoral victory, largely because his new Hungarian counterpart said he would extradite two senior figures from Poland’s former conservative Law and Justice (PiS) administration who sought refuge in Budapest from Tusk’s pursuit of his rivals.
But reports have since revealed that the pair—former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, and Marcin Romanowski, a former deputy justice minister—are now in the U.S.
Establishment figures in Warsaw have complained that this should not have been possible, since the former officials lack “valid [travel] documents.” Ziobro’s application in particular is said by numerous outlets to have been “personally” approved by Donald Trump. Hungary Today said this amounted to Magyar—and, by extension, Tusk—being “humiliated” by the American president.
PiS MP Michał Wójcik said the move was “a dramatic failure for Donald Tusk and this entire government,” adding that he was “very happy” that Ziobro “is where he is,” because “in Poland, if he were to be tried, there would be no fair trial today.” The former minister faces jail time of up to 25 years.
Less is currently known about the circumstances behind Romanowski’s arrival in the U.S., which was only reported on Sunday. He was arrested in July 2024 for allegedly misusing public funds during his time as a government official.
Current Polish justice minister Waldemar Zurek on Sunday said: “We will not cease our efforts to ensure that Ziobro and Romanowski are held accountable before the Polish justice system.”
Od miesięcy podejmujemy wszelkie kroki, by Zbigniew Ziobro stanął przed polskim wymiarem sprawiedliwości.
Podjęcie czynności procesowych utrudniał sam podejrzany oraz rząd węgierski, udzielając mu ochrony.
Polska skutecznie zabezpieczyła procedury: unieważniliśmy dokumenty…
Tusk’s team is expected to request the pair’s extradition.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
