Zbigniew Ziobro, Poland’s former justice minister and a key figure in the country’s conservative government, has confirmed that he left Hungary and is now in the United States. The admission came on Sunday, following local media reports that he had travelled to the US.
“I am in the United States,” Ziobro told the right-wing broadcaster Republika. “I arrived yesterday and this is my third time travelling around the country.”
Ziobro, who had been granted asylum by Viktor Orbán’s government in Budapest last year, faces a raft of criminal charges in Poland. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison. The charges include abuse of power, leading an organised criminal enterprise, and misusing funds intended for crime victims to purchase Israeli Pegasus spyware, allegedly to monitor political opponents.
A Shift in Hungarian Policy
Ziobro’s departure from Hungary comes just days after Péter Magyar was sworn in as the country’s new prime minister, following a landslide election victory that ended Orbán’s long tenure. Magyar has signalled a sharp break with his predecessor’s approach to harbouring fugitives. “Hungary will no longer be a dumping ground for internationally wanted criminals,” he told journalists after his victory, specifically naming Ziobro and his former deputy, Marcin Romanowski, who is suspected of embezzling nearly €40 million.
The change in Budapest’s stance appears to have prompted Ziobro to seek refuge elsewhere. The Republika broadcaster reported on Sunday that he was in the US, while liberal outlet TVN24 published a photograph of Ziobro at Newark Liberty International Airport, allegedly taken by another traveller.
Questions Over Travel Documents
How Ziobro managed to enter the United States remains unclear. Polish authorities had previously revoked his travel documents, including his Polish and diplomatic passports. Local news site Onet reported that Ziobro had obtained a US journalist visa linked to Republika. The broadcaster, which is aligned with the Polish right, later announced it had hired the former minister as its political commentator in the US.
Poland’s current justice minister, Waldemar Żurek, wrote on X that Warsaw “will reach out to the USA and Hungary with questions regarding the legal basis that enabled Zbigniew Ziobro to… enter the United States despite lacking valid documents.” He added, “We will not cease our efforts to ensure that he and Mr. Marcin Romanowski are held accountable before the Polish justice system.” Earlier, Żurek told Polsat broadcaster that if Ziobro’s presence in the US is confirmed, Poland will request his extradition.
Ziobro, who led the ultra-conservative Sovereign Poland party—a junior coalition partner of the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party—served as justice minister and attorney general from 2015 to 2023. He was also the architect of contentious judicial reforms that sparked a prolonged standoff between Poland and the European Commission. The European Union has repeatedly criticised those changes as undermining the rule of law, a dispute that remains unresolved.
Asked by Republika about the possibility of extradition, Ziobro appeared unfazed. “I am ready to appear before any court and an American independent court is certainly an independent court,” he said. “If they want to initiate extradition proceedings, by all means,” he added, describing extradition cases in US courts as “a demanding procedure.” He has consistently rejected the charges against him, accusing Poland’s centrist government of conducting a witch hunt against conservatives.
The case highlights the shifting political landscape in Central Europe. With Orbán’s departure from power in Hungary, the network of protection that once shielded figures like Ziobro has weakened. For Poland, the priority now is to bring Ziobro back to face justice, but the path through US extradition procedures is likely to be long and complex.
