“What exactly is there to help with?” – this is how presidential spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz commented on emerging statements within the ruling camp regarding the possible extradition of Zbigniew Ziobro from the United States. Leśkiewicz emphasized that the former Minister of Justice is not subject to an international arrest warrant, and that the entire matter is becoming an increasing problem for the government.
Zbigniew Ziobro, sought by prosecutors under Waldemar Żurek, has been staying in the United States for several days, having arrived there from Hungary, where he was granted political asylum. Ziobro, a former Minister of Justice, will now serve as a regular commentator for TV Republika from the U.S. This issue has dealt a significant blow to the ruling camp, especially since – as stated by the spokesperson for the National Prosecutor’s Office – Ziobro “is not an internationally wanted person”, contrary to narratives promoted by the ruling coalition.
Nevertheless, Waldemar Żurek, the Minister of Justice, is loudly calling for an extradition request for the politician from the United States, echoed by other representatives of the December 13 coalition.
The politician’s defense lawyer, Bartosz Lewandowski, representing the Law and Justice (PiS) politician, points out that if Żurek follows through on his announcements, it would violate procedures. “Contrary to what Minister of Justice Żurek announced yesterday, formally a request for extradition in order to surrender Minister Ziobro from the U.S. may be submitted only when the decision of the District Court for Warsaw-Mokotów in Warsaw on pre-trial detention becomes final, and not, for example, today or in the coming days,” he wrote on X. As he added – “This may happen in September 2026, as at that time the Regional Court in Warsaw, sitting as a three-judge panel, is to examine the appeals of three defense lawyers against the District Court’s decision, and only if the court upholds that ruling.”
Presidential spokesperson: a problem for the government
Rafał Leśkiewicz, spokesperson for the President of Poland, was asked on air by Polskie Radio whether President Karol Nawrocki, using his good relations with the U.S. administration, would help in extraditing the former Minister of Justice. He replied: “What exactly is there to help with?” Zbigniew Ziobro is a free man. He has the right to move freely around the world. He went to the United States because he had the right to do so and because he wanted or needed to. That is all. It is his private matter** – emphasized Leśkiewicz.
As he recalled – the former Minister of Justice “is not wanted under an Interpol Red Notice and no European Arrest Warrant has been issued”. In his view – the court has not made such a decision because the evidence gathered by the prosecution is “very weak, flimsy”.
He admitted: “Therefore, this is a problem for the government.”
Leśkiewicz also stated that the Ziobro case – as internet users have also assessed – is a “complete failure of the prosecution led by Waldemar Żurek.”
Extradition? “Do not go down this road”
Prof. Ireneusz Kamiński, an expert in international law and former judge of the European Court of Human Rights, pointed out that the 2006 Polish-American agreement forming the basis for extradition procedures “contains two blocking clauses.”
“The first appears at the very beginning. Extradition shall not take place if the offense underlying the request is political. Then there is a list of acts that are not considered political offenses, including murder, kidnapping, or an attack using explosives. But after this enumeration comes a second safeguard: even in the case of such acts, extradition shall not occur if the requested state considers that the request ‘was made for political reasons'” – noted Prof. Kamiński in an analysis prepared for Wirtualna Polska.
He recalled that before a federal court in the United States, where extradition proceedings may take place, facts will be revisited including the granting of asylum to Ziobro and Marcin Romanowski in Hungary, public statements by Péter Magyar, the refusal by Interpol to issue a Red Notice in Romanowski’s case, as well as remarks concerning the “rule of law” in Poland under the current coalition government.
“Finally, there is a factor I would call one of pride. State officials have long memories (‘institutional memory’) in matters where they were refused, treating it as an affront. Years ago, the Americans sought the extradition from Poland of Roman Polanski, wanted on rape charges. Polish courts refused. In 2015, the Kraków Regional Court ruled the extradition inadmissible, in a decision issued by Judge Dariusz Mazur, now a Deputy Minister of Justice,” added Prof. Kamiński.
He concluded his considerations by stating that, with regard to a potential extradition request, “one should not go down this road.”