Sikorski revokes diplomatic protection for accused ex-minister, he is "hiding" in Hungary

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has granted the prosecutor's request and revoked the diplomatic passport of former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro. He faces 26 charges, including leading an organised crime group and misusing money from the Justice Fund.

Ziobro is currently in Hungary, where he could follow his deputy Marcin Romanowski and apply for political asylum. Romanowski's diplomatic and private passports have also been revoked to prevent him from travelling outside the Schengen area.

The former minister is facing suspicions that he also misused a fund that was supposed to help victims of crime to buy the Pegasus surveillance system, allegedly used against political opponents. Ziobro says the charges are in retaliation for his fight against corruption.

His lawyer has suggested interrogation in Hungary or Belgium, but Polish Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek has stressed that Ziobro has no right to determine the location of the questioning. If he does not return to Poland, a European arrest warrant will be issued for him.

A similar warrant for Romanowski's arrest could not be enforced because of his asylum in Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has described the charges as a political witch-hunt.

(reuters, max)