Former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, wanted by law enforcement agencies subordinate to Waldemar Żurek, is currently in the United States, TV Republika reported today. The politician is scheduled to appear later this evening on the broadcaster’s program “Dzisiaj.”
As previously reported, the former justice minister spent recent months in Hungary, where he was granted political asylum. Following the change of government in Budapest, questions emerged about the future of both Ziobro and Marcin Romanowski. Peter Magyar, the new head of the Hungarian government, has repeatedly spoken about Polish politicians in a narrative aligned with that promoted by Donald Tusk’s administration. Magyar was formally sworn in yesterday.
Ozdoba: “They fear Ziobro’s return”
TV Republika reported this morning that the former head of the Justice Ministry is currently staying in the United States.
Asked about the report, PiS MEP Jacek Ozdoba said: “I can speak about the circumstances in which Zbigniew Ziobro has found himself. We are dealing with a political witch hunt and a campaign against the former justice minister, which in my opinion is extremely harmful to Poland.”
“We are dealing with the creation of false information, fake news, and worst of all, the participation of a certain ‘form’ of the justice system in it. I say ‘form’ because this prosecution office is, in fact, illegal. When it comes to Zbigniew Ziobro, there is no corruption, no organized criminal group. An impression was created as if Ziobro had stolen something — assets were seized, figures in the millions were mentioned. Zbigniew Ziobro never had those millions in his account, yet the information was presented as if he did. He never stole anything and never did anything wrong. This campaign against him has been a purely political operation. I believe it is the result of the old saying that a drowning man clutches at a razor blade. And those drowning men turned out to be Donald Tusk’s associates. If you look at who fears Ziobro… it is Roman Giertych, Sławomir N., and many others,” he said on Republika.
He added that “these people fear Zbigniew Ziobro’s return because he caught them red-handed in many proceedings. If the information you are now presenting is confirmed — that Ziobro is on the territory of the world’s largest democracy — then it is the best possible summary of the situation. In the world’s largest democracy, a person whose role has been completely reversed can feel safe.”
In his view, “in a normal world, the sheriff hunts criminals, not criminals hunting the sheriff. And here, it looked completely the other way around.”
Zbigniew Ziobro, Poland’s former justice minister and prosecutor general, is being pursued by a prosecution service subordinate to Waldemar Żurek. Prosecutors intend to charge him, among other things, with leading an organized criminal group and using his office for allegedly criminal activities. In total, Ziobro is accused of committing 26 offenses, including instructing subordinates to break the law in order to secure grants from the Justice Fund for selected entities, interfering in the preparation of competition bids, and allowing funds to be awarded to unauthorized organizations.