Poland Asks US to Arrest and Extradite Ziobro

Polish prosecutors have formally asked the United States, through diplomatic channels, to arrest and extradite former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro.

Ziobro faces 26 charges in Poland, most of them relating to the alleged misuse of public money from a fund intended to support victims of crime for political purposes.

The former minister denies all the allegations, describing the case as a politically motivated “witch hunt” by Poland's current pro-European government.

Ziobro and his former deputy, Marcin Romanowski, were initially granted asylum in Hungary. However, Ziobro fled to the United States on 9 May following the change of government in Budapest and the swearing-in of Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who had pledged to revoke their refugee status.

According to available information, senior officials at the US State Department helped Ziobro obtain a US visa. The whereabouts of Romanowski remain unknown.

(Reuters, Max)