# Hungary grants asylum to former Polish minister under corruption probe
IO Digest Desk
Hungary has granted political asylum to Zbigniew Ziobro, Poland’s former justice minister, while prosecutors in Warsaw pursue an investigation over alleged abuse of power.
Ziobro, one of the most prominent figures in the former Law and Justice government, said on social media that he would remain abroad until genuine guarantees of the rule of law were restored in Poland. He thanked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for granting him asylum and said he intended to fight what he called political banditry and lawlessness.
According to The Guardian, Polish prosecutors are investigating Ziobro on 26 charges. They allege that he ran a criminal group and abused his position through misuse of a fund meant to support victims of crime. Polish media have reported that prosecutors also believe the money was used for political patronage and to buy the Pegasus spyware system, which was allegedly deployed against domestic rivals.
The political context is important. Ziobro was a central figure in the conservative-nationalist Law and Justice administration and played a key role in controversial judicial reforms that critics say weakened the independence of courts and deepened conflict with the European Union. Since PiS was voted out in 2023, Poland has been governed by a pro-European coalition led by Donald Tusk, who was elected on a promise to confront alleged corruption and misuse of state resources.
The asylum decision also echoes earlier cases. Marcin Romanowski, Ziobro’s former deputy justice minister, claimed asylum in Hungary in late 2024 after being identified as a suspect in a related matter. The Hungarian foreign minister later said Budapest had granted asylum to several people facing what he called political persecution in Poland, though he did not name them.
In Warsaw, the government made no effort to hide its anger. Spokesperson Adam Szłapka said Ziobro’s asylum claim showed that “the sheriff proved to be nothing but a coward,” a line that captures the political temperature around the case. Ziobro’s lawyer argued at a press conference that his client would not get a fair trial in Poland.
Procedurally, the case is still moving. In November, the Polish parliament waived Ziobro’s parliamentary immunity, clearing the way for prosecutors to request his temporary arrest. That motion is expected to be heard this week. In December, his passports were invalidated in an attempt to prevent him leaving the country.
The asylum grant does not resolve the legal case, but it does change the field. Ziobro is now beyond Polish reach for the moment, and the dispute has become another test of how far Central European governments are willing to go in shielding allies facing domestic prosecution. For Tusk’s government, the matter is both a legal case and a symbol of the confrontation with the PiS era. For Orbán’s Hungary, it is another demonstration of willingness to side with embattled nationalist figures from neighbouring states.
