Experts: Former PiS ministers will no longer receive asylum in any EU country

Political scientist prof. Roman Baecker told PAP that former ministers in the PiS government, Zbigniew Ziobro and Marcin Romanowski, will no longer receive asylum in any other EU country after TISZA's victory in Hungary. Prof. Marcin Czyżniewski added that helping them from the US would permanently change Polish-American relations.

The former heads of the Ministry of Justice – Zbigniew Ziobro and Marcin Romanowski – are currently staying in the Hungarian capital and are suspects in the investigation into violations in the use of the Justice Fund. Both – Ziobro and Romanowski – applied for asylum, which was granted to them by the Hungarian government.

– It seems that they will have to make a dramatic decision about what to do with themselves – political scientist Prof. told PAP. Baecker, asked about what's next for former ministers after the current opposition won the elections in Hungary.

The expert added that now they would not get asylum in any EU country. – Outside the EU, there seem to be several countries that would be happy to accept them as political immigrants. I just don't know whether it will be a glorious place for PiS – said prof. Baecker.

Specialist in Central Europe, prof. Marcin Czyżniewski said that in his opinion, Romanowski and Ziobro are already packed.

– This situation is their problem. The police will not come for them today or tomorrow, because there must be a formal change of power. It would be especially special if they got protection in the United States. This would have to be considered in terms of completely new American-Polish relations – said Prof. Czyżniewski.

At the end of November last year Minister of Justice, Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek notified the Speaker of the Sejm about the allegations against Ziobro related to his performance as the head of the Ministry of Justice and the University of Technology in 2015-2023. The prosecutor's office accuses the former Minister of Justice 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.

Peter Magyar, leader of the TISZA party, which most likely won Sunday's elections in Hungary, when asked in February this year what would happen to Ziobro and Romanowski if his party took power, said: – If after the TISZA party forms a government (these people – PAP) they are still in Hungary, we will extradite them on the first day.

Tomasz Więcławski (PAP)

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