Hungary has granted asylum to Poland’s former justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, as he seeks to avoid prosecution over alleged misuse of public funds, the ex-minister confirmed on Monday.
“I decided to take advantage of the asylum granted to me by the Hungarian government due to political repressions in Poland,” Ziobro wrote on X, adding that he has also applied for asylum for his wife.
The case highlights growing tensions between two EU and NATO members that were once considered close allies, amid a region already unsettled by the war in Ukraine and shifts in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors in Poland have accused Ziobro of misusing funds from the Justice Fund, a programme intended to support victims of crime. Authorities claim the funds were partly used to purchase the Pegasus spyware system, allegedly deployed against domestic political opponents.
Ziobro denies wrongdoing, insisting he is the target of a political witch hunt due to his previous role as prosecutor general, during which he launched investigations into individuals close to Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Poland’s government, led by Tusk, has pledged to pursue officials linked to the former nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) administration. The move has drawn swift criticism from Poland’s ruling coalition, with Tomasz Siemoniak, Minister in charge of Special Services, calling Ziobro’s flight a “total downfall” and denouncing him as a “coward” for avoiding the justice system.
This is not the first time Hungary has provided protection to former PiS officials. In 2024, the country granted asylum to Marcin Romanowski, a former deputy justice minister, who faces similar allegations of misappropriating public funds.
On Friday, Poland summoned the Hungarian ambassador following reports that Budapest had recently granted asylum to two unnamed Polish citizens. The Hungarian government has not yet responded to requests for comment.
