Poland weighs legal action against Hungary over asylum granted to Zbigniew Ziobro

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) —Warsaw is considering legal action against Hungary after Budapest granted political asylum to former Polish justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, current Justice Minister, Waldemar Zurek told Radio Zet on Wednesday.

Zurek said he had instructed his ministry to examine whether Hungary’s decision violates EU law and could be challenged before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

“I have ordered an analysis of whether Hungary has breached its obligations by failing to respect the European Arrest Warrant,” Zurek said. “If so, this matter should be brought before the Court of Justice.”

Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday applied to a Warsaw court for a European Arrest Warrant against Ziobro, who served as justice minister under the previous Law and Justice government. Prosecutors say they intend to bring 26 criminal charges against him in connection with alleged abuses involving the Justice Fund, a state-run program intended to support crime victims.

Ziobro left Poland last month and is currently in Hungary, where authorities have confirmed that he has been granted political asylum. Hungarian officials have not commented in detail on the decision.

Under EU law, the European Arrest Warrant is designed to ensure the swift extradition of suspects between member states based on mutual trust in each other’s judicial systems. Polish officials argue that granting asylum to a person subject to a European Arrest Warrant undermines that principle.

Zurek said the dispute could have broader consequences for Hungary’s standing in the EU, referring to the possibility of invoking the bloc’s so-called “nuclear option” — a reference to Article 7 of the EU treaties, which allows for the suspension of a member state’s voting rights in cases of serious and persistent breaches of EU values.

“Everyone in Europe is tired of Hungary’s behavior,” Zurek said, adding that rule-of-law proceedings against Budapest were already under way and that EU funds had previously been withheld over similar concerns.

He stressed that Poland’s immediate focus remained on pursuing the criminal case against Ziobro. “If a Polish citizen is suspected of serious financial crimes involving public funds, the state has a duty to pursue that person regardless of where they are,” Zurek said.

Ziobro has denied any wrongdoing and has described the investigation as politically motivated. His lawyers argue that Hungary’s decision to grant asylum was lawful.

The Polish government that took office in 2024 has pledged to restore judicial independence and strengthen cooperation with EU institutions following years of conflict between Brussels and the previous administration.

The European Commission has not yet commented publicly on whether it intends to intervene in the dispute between Poland and Hungary.