November 7 Sejm lifted the immunity of the former minister and consented to his detention and possible arrest in connection with the investigation into abuses in the Justice Fund.
Read also: Mateusz Morawiecki and former ministers with allegations. The Prosecutor General responds
A few hours after this decision, the prosecutor's office issued a decision to present 26 charges against Ziobro and to arrest him by the Internal Security Agency. Since then, the politician has not returned to the country – first he stayed in Hungary, and now he revealed that he is in Brussels.
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Zbigniew Ziobro gave an interview to right-wing media. “I am a free man”
In an interview with wPolsce24 television he said: I travel around Europe, I am a free man. He also said that the government intended to use his detention as a show of force. Tusk would like to show that he is a political alpha male, a macho man who locked up the prosecutor general. Their hands cannot reach me yet – he said.
Read also: Waldemar Żurek on the Ziobro case. The minister reveals the next steps of the prosecutor's office
Meanwhile, the prosecutor's office continues to take action against the former minister. The District Court for Warsaw-Mokotów received a request for a three-month arrest – the hearing is scheduled for December 22. On November 17, investigators also requested the invalidation of his passport and diplomatic passport. This procedure, as confirmed by the National Prosecutor's Office, is still ongoing.
Zbigniew Ziobro in an interview for wPolsce24 television, broadcast from the capital of Hungary, Budapest
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EastNews
Ziobro maintains that is ready to “explain all allegations”, but for now he does not indicate whether he plans to return to Poland. He also accuses the prime minister of “political revenge” and claims that the prosecutor's actions are intended to divert attention from “thievery in Tusk's entourage.”
The ruling coalition wants the State Tribunal for Zbigniew Ziobro. The case comes back after a dozen or so years
On Wednesday, the Speaker of the Sejm, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, announced that the ruling coalition would submit a preliminary motion to bring Ziobro before the State Tribunal. The group leaders are expected to collect over 115 signatures. — This decision will begin the process of transferring Mr. Zbigniew Ziobro's case to the State Tribunal – Czarzasty announced.
This is not the first attempt to hold Ziobro constitutionally responsible. In 2012, PO MPs accused him of violating the constitution and laws while serving as Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General in 2005–2007. Even though 271 MPs voted in favor of bringing him before the Tribunal in 2015, the resolution ultimately did not obtain the required majority and the case was discontinued.
