“Sometimes you have to put your foot down. I believe that summoning Ambassador Rose to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this matter, after we learned that Ziobro is in the United States, would have been the appropriate response,” such a “solution” was suggested to his coalition partner – the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski – by Krzysztof Śmiszek, a Member of the European Parliament from the New Left.
Zbigniew Ziobro, the former Minister of Justice, whom the prosecutor’s office supervised by Minister Waldemar Żurek is attempting to prosecute, announced on Sunday that he is currently in the United States. The Law and Justice (PiS) MP stated that he had not fled Poland and is using a document granted to him along with the right to asylum, which he received in Hungary. Moreover, TV Republika reported that Ziobro will become a political commentator for the station.
The prosecutor’s office supervised by Waldemar Żurek was determined to accelerate the hearing date for the appeal against the detention of Zbigniew Ziobro. However, the public prosecutor suffered another defeat – the court responded that there is no such option. One must wait until September, and without this, it is impossible to file an extradition request for the Law and Justice (PiS) politician who is legally staying in the United States.
Zbigniew Ziobro’s departure to the United States has triggered a political storm. Statements by members of the ruling coalition about further stages of “accountability,” including extradition, are backfiring politically on the camp of Donald Tusk. On the Niezalezna.pl portal, it was previously reported on an analysis by Res Futura Data House, which shows that a clear majority of social media users criticize the government in this matter.
This is also confirmed by the results of the latest survey conducted by SW Research for Onet:
Sniping Within the Coalition. Śmiszek Speaks About Sikorski
The critical mood surrounding the government appears to be affecting the atmosphere within the coalition. Speaking on TVN24, New Left MEP Krzysztof Śmiszek, while addressing Ziobro’s stay in the United States, commented on the work of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In his view, Radosław Sikorski should “put his foot down” and “summon the U.S. ambassador to Poland.”
“I truly respect Minister Sikorski. He is an excellent deputy prime minister, an excellent minister, but sometimes you have to put your foot down. I believe that summoning Ambassador Rose to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this matter, after we learned that Ziobro is in the United States, would have been the appropriate response,” he stated.
As he went on to say, “in such fundamental matters, one must speak clearly.”
“I wonder what the reaction of the United States would be if it were us who had taken in a guest facing so many charges in the United States,” said the member of the ruling coalition.
The prosecutor’s office under Waldemar Żurek also came under fire. Śmiszek stated that “the prolonged handling of Zbigniew Ziobro’s case by the Polish court is incomprehensible to him.”