Czarnek distances himself from Ziobro: It's a matter for lawyers. Fear in PiS after the elections in Hungary?
2026-04-13 13:10
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2026-04-13 13:10
Lawyers will decide what happens next with Zbigniew Ziobro and Marcin Romanowski, said PiS candidate for prime minister Przemysław Czarnek when asked about PiS politicians under international protection in Hungary during Viktor Orban's government. “It's not my business,” he added.
Czarnek was asked about the situation of Ziobro and Romanowski at the Monday press conference, in connection with the fact that Peter Magyar's TISZA party won in Sunday's parliamentary elections in Hungary, and the Fidesz-KDNP coalition led by Victor Orban received 55 seats in the 199-seat parliament. When asked in February what would happen to Ziobro and Romanowski if his party took power, Magyar said that after TISZ formed a government, if they were still in Hungary, they would be extradited.
– These are legal issues and lawyers will probably settle them, it's not my business – said Czarnek, answering the question what will now happen to Ziobro and Romanowski.
He also referred to the words of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is visiting South Korea. – who said at Monday's briefing in Seoul that he had talked to Peter Magyar about these two PiS politicians even before the Hungarian elections. The Prime Minister expressed hope that he would “tell these two gentlemen: 'Welcome to Poland'.”
Czarnek said that he would like to “welcome Mr. Tusk with a bill that gives patients treatment” – he had previously presented his bill on health care reform. – Just as Mr. Tusk said (…) that he would like to welcome them to Poland, I would like to welcome Mr. Tusk with this bill that provides treatment – he said. Czarnek added that “today we are debating the death and sentencing of Polish patients to death, not who will win the elections in Hungary and what will happen next with the two MPs.” – Lawyers will decide on this – he repeated.
Both Romanowski and Ziobro have been charged with allegations in the investigation into the functioning of the Justice Fund during the PiS government. The prosecutor's office accuses Ziobro of, among other things, leading an organized criminal group and using his position for criminal activities.. Ziobro allegedly committed 26 crimes, including: give orders to his subordinates to break the law in order to provide selected entities with subsidies from the Justice Fund, interfere in the preparation of competition offers and allow funds to be awarded to unauthorized entities.
The first European Arrest Warrant was issued for Romanowski in December 2024. Then it turned out that the Hungarian government had granted him asylum. A year later, in December 2025, this EAW was annulled. The prosecutor's office sent a renewed application, and the District Court in Warsaw accepted it in February 2026 and re-issued the EAW for Romanowski.
So far, however, the court has not decided on the prosecutor's office's request to issue an EAW against Ziobro. So far, an arrest warrant has been issued for him, which occurred after he expressed his consent in February this year. by the District Court for Warsaw-Mokotów consent to arrest. Subsequently, an application for an EAW was submitted. The fact that Ziobro was granted international protection by the Hungarian authorities was announced in early January this year.
Currently, both the complaint against the arrest and the application for an EAW have been pending in the Warsaw district court regarding Ziobro for almost two months. In recent weeks, applications regarding complaints regarding arrest have been considered, among others: Ziobro's defenders to exclude individual judges appointed to this case. Currently, the complaint has been submitted to a panel of three judges. In turn, in the case of issuing an EAW, the court also dealt with requests to exclude judges. Moreover, at the end of March this year The Court of Appeal did not accept the request of Ziobro's defense attorney to suspend the proceedings regarding the issuance of the EAW, but this issue is currently at the appeal stage.
Orban's defeat means the end of the political and administrative umbrella
Viktor Orban's defeat means the end of the protective political and administrative umbrella in Hungary for Zbigniew Ziobro and Marcin Romanowski – said the deputy head of the Ministry of Justice, Arkadiusz Myrcha. If the new government decides that they do not deserve special status, it will unblock court proceedings, he added.
Peter Magyar's TISZA party won Sunday's parliamentary elections in Hungary. The Fidesz-KDNP coalition led by current Prime Minister Viktor Orban received 55 seats in the 199-seat parliament – this ends Fidesz's 16-year rule in Hungary.
Under Viktor Orban's government, former Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro and his former deputy in the ministry, Marcin Romanowski, received international protection in Hungary. The National Prosecutor's Office brought charges against both of them regarding irregularities in the Justice Fund. In mid-February, the Warsaw court again issued a European Arrest Warrant against Romanowski, and the prosecutor's office's application for an EAW against Ziobro is pending in court. Magyar at the end of February this year. he said that if his group wins the elections and the two PiS politicians are still in Hungary, they will be extradited.
Myrcha, asked on Monday on Radio ZET what Orban's election defeat means for Ziobro and Romanowski, replied that “first of all, the end of the purely political umbrella” that the previous Hungarian prime minister gave them, and “the end of the administrative umbrella.”
– Let us remind you that the status of an asylum seeker or political refugee, whatever you call it, depends solely on the decision of the authorities, on an administrative decision. And this status allowed both of these gentlemen to avoid responsibility before the Polish justice system,” said the deputy head of the Ministry of Justice, adding that in Romanowski's case, this status blocked the execution of the EAW already at the court stage.
– Now, if the new government and new Hungarian leaders decide that the activities of Mr. Romanowski and Ziobro do not deserve this unique, special status, this will unblock court proceedings on the Hungarian side – said Myrcha.
When asked whether it was all that simple and a political decision would settle the matter, the deputy head of the Ministry of Justice pointed out that in the case of Romanowski, the EAW had already been transferred to the Hungarian side and – as he added – “it is, of course, always a court decision”, but “the principle of reciprocity, the principle of trust means that the execution of requests from a Member State (EU) in the territory of another Member State is without unnecessary delay and excessive procedures.”
(PAP)
(PAP)
