Suspicion of corruption: Ex-vice minister wanted by Poland receives asylum in Hungary

A member of the former PiS government wanted by Poland on suspicion of corruption with a European arrest warrant has received political asylum in Hungary. The Hungarian authorities had granted protection to the former deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski, his lawyer Bartosz Lewandowski said on X. The head of the office of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban confirmed the information, as reported by the PAP news agency.

The government in Warsaw reacted angrily. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski wrote on

Suspicion of embezzlement of millions

The Polish public prosecutor’s office is investigating 48-year-old Romanowski for eleven criminal offenses, including suspicion of membership in a criminal organization. On Thursday, a court granted the investigators’ request to search for the politician with a European arrest warrant.

As deputy justice minister, he is said to have funneled millions of dollars from a fund for crime victims into projects that the then justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, hoped would benefit the party. Romanowski denies all allegations.

Reports: Recording studios instead of protection for crime victims

In one case, the equivalent of 23.5 million euros is said to have flowed to the foundation of a Catholic priest who made a name for himself as an exorcist. The funds were intended to build a house that would ostensibly provide shelter for crime victims. According to media reports, the priest is said to have set up several recording studios there because he planned to build a media empire based on the model of the right-wing Catholic station Radio Maryja.

The national-conservative PiS, whose name “Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc” translates to law and justice, ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023. During this time, it significantly restructured the justice system, which put it on a collision course with the EU Commission. In October 2023, PiS lost the parliamentary election and has since become the country’s largest opposition party. Since then, Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s center-left coalition has been trying to reverse the PiS government’s controversial judicial reforms.

According to Romanowski’s lawyer, the politician argued in his asylum application that the Polish prosecutor’s investigation against him was politically motivated. He also could not expect a fair trial in Poland. The Hungarian authorities approved the application because “the rights and freedoms” of the former deputy minister were restricted in his homeland.