Strongman rhetoric, weak exit

Ziobro’s move to Hungary has taken politicians from PiS (Law and Justice), his political home, by surprise. For his parent political camp, the decision to seek asylum abroad is proving politically damaging.

Even before the weekend of 10-11 January, TVN24 news outlet reported that two Polish nationals had applied for political asylum in Hungary. It was suggested that the applicants could be former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro and his wife, Patrycja Kotecka.

By Monday morning, it was clear that the reports referred to the former minister and his wife. This was confirmed by Zbigniew Ziobro himself and by his lawyer, Bartosz Lewandowski. Late on Monday morning, the lawyer convened a press conference at which he said that Ziobro was being treated as a person under international protection “due to political persecution in his home country.” He confirmed that Mr. Ziobro had been granted asylum and that an asylum application had also been filed on behalf of his wife.

Mr. Ziobro granted political asylum in Hungary

Zbigniew Ziobro himself published a lengthy statement on X. Announcing the decision, he wrote that he was choosing “to fight political banditry and lawlessness” and to “resist an advancing dictatorship.”

He likened comments by the current justice minister, Waldemar Żurek – who had spoken of the possibility of removing a judge critical of the state’s actions against Mr. Ziobro – to Stalinism. The reference was to Judge Dariusz Łubowski, who had lifted a European Arrest Warrant against Marcin Romanowski (another politician with asylum in Hungary – ed.).

“In these circumstances, I have decided to make use of the asylum granted to me by the Hungarian government due to political repression in Poland,” Mr. Ziobro said.

In the later part of the statement, he explained the reasons for seeking asylum for his wife, Patrycja Kotecka. He wrote that he feared his wife – whose work at the insurance company Link4 had been audited under the current government (with Ms. Kotecka ultimately receiving a previously unpaid bonus) – could be “treated as a hostage” to force him to return to Poland.

He thanked Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, for granting him asylum.

Mr. Ziobro traveled to Hungary as early as November. He flew there shortly after the Sejm lifted his parliamentary immunity and approved the prosecution’s request to allow his pre-trial detention. At the time, he said he was traveling to Budapest to attend a conference on the rule of law in the European Union. He was later also seen in Brussels.

Asylum for Mr. Ziobro: Political reactions

News that Zbigniew Ziobro had been granted political asylum sent shockwaves through Poland’s political scene.

“Former justice minister Mr. Ziobro, who from the shadows ran a system of political corruption, has asked Viktor Orbán for political asylum. A logical choice,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote sarcastically in an English-language post on X.

“Zbyszek (a common Polish diminutive for the full name Zbigniew – ed.), on a human level I sympathize with the bread of exile, which I too have tasted. The difference is that I was fleeing communism, while you are fleeing a Polish prosecutor and courts that you yourself reformed. Still, I wish you a return to the homeland and a fair verdict,” wrote Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.

“They chose to flee like cowards”

Politicians from the governing coalition accuse Zbigniew Ziobro of cowardice. At the same time, they insist they have not abandoned hope of holding the former justice minister to account for the period of PiS rule. One such voice is Magdalena Sroka, a member of parliament from the Polish People’s Party (PSL) and chair of the Sejm’s investigative committee into the Pegasus software affair, who spoke to XYZ. Under PiS, the spyware system was purchased using funds from the Justice Fund.

“The investigative committee, after a long series of obstacles, successfully questioned Zbigniew Ziobro. I am convinced that the prosecution will also cope with the second stage of settling accounts with the former minister. Asylum in Hungary is yet another maneuver by Zbigniew Ziobro, driven by fear of responsibility,” Ms. Sroka said. “We can see how PiS politicians behave when charges are brought against them in various areas and when they are involved in preparatory proceedings conducted by prosecutors. Politicians originating from Sovereign Poland, such as Marcin Romanowski and Zbigniew Ziobro, chose to flee like cowards. I hope that there will be a change of government in Hungary and that the situation there will make it easier for the prosecution to continue its work. The prosecution faces a tough nut to crack, but I am convinced that, in the end, Zbigniew Ziobro will be held to account.”

She added that the contrast was clear between PiS politicians who remain in Poland to face investigations and those linked to Sovereign Poland (SP) who have chosen to leave the country.

Hungary’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for April. Opinion polls are currently led by the Respect and Freedom Party (TISZA), which is in opposition to Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz.

The investigative committee chaired by Ms. Sroka questioned Zbigniew Ziobro in September, after many failed attempts. At the hearing, the former justice minister admitted that he had initiated the purchase of Pegasus for the special services. Responsibility for the specific decisions, however, he attributed to his then deputy, Michał Woś.

Decision on parliamentary pay and questions to the European Commission

The decision to grant asylum to Zbigniew Ziobro has also prompted a response from Włodzimierz Czarzasty, the Speaker of the Sejm. He has initiated a procedure to determine the status of Mr. Ziobro’s parliamentary remuneration. Mr. Czarzasty announced that he would take decisions on whether Mr. Ziobro should continue to receive his parliamentary pay.

Meanwhile, Dariusz Joński, a Member of the European Parliament from the Civic Coalition (KO), has said he intends to submit a formal inquiry to the European Commission regarding Hungary’s decision to grant political asylum to Law and Justice (PiS) politicians. He wants to know what legal steps the Commission may take against Hungary in this matter.

“I believe the Commission should respond, because we are dealing with two politicians facing extremely serious allegations – more than a dozen in the case of Marcin Romanowski and 26 in the case of Zbigniew Ziobro. It cannot be that one country becomes a safe haven for people who broke the law and siphoned off money, and who now flee to another EU member state and feel immune from accountability there,” Mr. Joński said, as quoted by the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

Response from current Justice Minister

Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek weighed in on X, saying that information about Zbigniew Ziobro being granted asylum had not yet been confirmed through any official international procedure. He added that proceedings related to the Justice Fund are still ongoing, and that a Warsaw court will decide whether to order Mr. Ziobro’s pre-trial detention in January.

PiS politicians on Mr. Ziobro’s asylum

Politicians from Law and Justice (PiS) have moved to defend Zbigniew Ziobro’s decision, though some have done so at arm’s length. Mariusz Błaszczak, head of the PiS parliamentary caucus, wrote on X that Mr. Ziobro’s decision was based on “real grounds.” Like Mr. Ziobro, he criticized the current state authorities for the way they are conducting the investigation into the Justice Fund.

Former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki struck a more cautious tone. Speaking on a morning program on RMF FM radio, he partly echoed Mr. Ziobro’s claims of being politically persecuted. Mr. Morawiecki also admitted that he had not known in advance that Mr. Ziobro was seeking asylum in Hungary, adding that he himself has no intention of applying for asylum.

Unlike the former justice minister, the former prime minister has not avoided appearances at the prosecutor’s office. He attended questioning there as recently as February 2024, when investigators sought to bring charges against him over the so-called postal elections. Mr. Morawiecki, however, refused to give testimony.

“This is already hurting us”

On social media and in media outlets, politicians from PiS are defending Zbigniew Ziobro, speaking of repression by the current government. In off-the-record conversations, however, a different note is heard – one of surprise.

“We didn’t know about this. There was no awareness within the party that he had applied for asylum. I suspect most of the party sees this the same way as Prime Minister Morawiecki or the president, who commented on it recently. Officially, everyone will hedge. Internally, I don’t know anyone who supports this course of action. Not even in the former political party of Mr. Ziobro”, says a PiS source.

The PiS politician is referring to remarks by President Karol Nawrocki, who commented on Mr. Ziobro’s case in December. The president argued that Mr. Ziobro cannot count on a fair trial in Poland. He also acknowledged that leaving one’s homeland is an action “far removed from the emotional framework in which he was raised.” He drew a parallel with the case of Andrzej Poczobut, whom he awarded the Order of the White Eagle, stating that each day Poczobut spends in prison proves the true nature of Lukashenko’s regime.

Within the PiS camp, there are growing concerns about the reputational damage the party may suffer as a result of the former minister’s flight.

“In my view, this is already hurting us. Not that it could hurt – it is hurting. This story is an endless series. Even for the Ziobro camp, it may become a problem. Please note that others did not take advantage of such an option,” says one PiS politician.

The diplomatic dimension

Political asylum for Zbigniew Ziobro may have repercussions on several levels. Prof. Arkadiusz Modrzejewski, director of the Institute of Political Science at the University of Gdańsk, points to the diplomatic dimension.

“Hungary is a European Union member state that itself has problems with the rule of law, yet it is accusing another state of violating those principles – a state that is restoring the rule of law after years of PiS governance. Granting asylum to Zbigniew Ziobro is a diplomatic affront. He was given asylum on the grounds that he would face repression in Poland. This could cast a shadow over future Polish–Hungarian relations, although since Donald Tusk took office those relations have not been at their best anyway,” Prof. Modrzejewski says.

“PiS politicians knew exactly what they were doing”

The second dimension highlighted by the political scientist concerns domestic politics. He recalls well-known statements by Zbigniew Ziobro.

These include the slogan “Those who are honest have nothing to fear,” repeatedly used by Mr. Ziobro during his time as minister, as well as his remark, “I hope you won’t turn out to be such wimps as in the days of the State Tribunal,” addressed to the current authorities. This was a reference to announced efforts to hold PiS governments to account, and to the failed attempt to bring Mr. Ziobro before the State Tribunal toward the end of the PO–PSL administration.

“Zbigniew Ziobro’s request for asylum is the height of hypocrisy. It exposes the true purpose of the judicial reforms carried out during PiS rule – namely, the creation of a loyal, in a sense party-controlled, judiciary and prosecution service. We are dealing with a man who claimed that honest people have nothing to fear. Now the narrative has been reversed: Poland supposedly lacks the rule of law because, as right-wing politicians describe it, the new coalition (often referred to by right-wing politicians as “December 13 Coalition” – ed.) has come to power and, according to this narrative, dismantled the legal order of the state,” the political scientist argues.

The University of Gdańsk expert also points to the state of the judiciary left behind after Mr. Ziobro’s tenure at the Ministry of Justice.

“PiS politicians, including Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, knew perfectly well what they were doing when they set so-called ‘institutional and legal traps’ for future governments. The prosecution service and the courts were politicized. We know that the current coalition is unable to restore the rule of law to a level that would meet all the standards of a state governed by the rule of law – standards we, as citizens, would want and that clearly lie in our legal interest. The reason is simple: the president’s vetoes. In this respect, he is fully aligned with the right, which bears responsibility for dismantling the rule of law. And this needs to be said clearly, by calling things by their proper names,” Prof. Arkadiusz Modrzejewski concludes.

Problems for PiS

The political scientist also believes that political asylum for Zbigniew Ziobro is a problem for PiS. He points to two reasons.

“First, we see a clear dissonance between what Zbigniew Ziobro used to say and what he actually did – fleeing to Hungary and seeking asylum there when the situation around him began to tighten,” Prof. Arkadiusz Modrzejewski argues.

The second reason lies in the close relationship between Viktor Orbán, who granted Mr. Ziobro shelter, and Vladimir Putin.

“PiS portrays itself as an anti-Russian party. Just a few days ago, Jarosław Kaczyński (PiS leader) was distancing himself from Grzegorz Braun’s Confederation of the Polish Crown (openly anti-EU party – ed.). Meanwhile, the former Minister of Justice flees to Viktor Orbán – widely seen as Vladimir Putin’s most important ally within the European Union. I do not know how PiS voters will explain this to themselves. If they are – and there is certainly such a segment within this party’s electorate – immune to facts, they may be indifferent and rationalize everything as a matter of higher necessity. From the perspective of PiS’s more moderate voters, however, this situation may be genuinely bewildering,” the political scientist concludes.

A long list of charges against Mr. Ziobro

The prosecution service is conducting an investigation into irregularities at the Justice Fund. According to investigators, Zbigniew Ziobro, while serving as minister of justice, is alleged to have stood at the head of an organized criminal group that misused public funds. Instead of supporting victims of crime, the money was allegedly channeled to right-wing organizations and used in election campaigns in constituencies of candidates from Suwerenna Polska (Sovereign Poland – SP).

Sovereign Poland was Zbigniew Ziobro’s party; in the fall of 2024 it was absorbed into Law and Justice (PiS).

In November 2025, the Sejm voted to lift Mr. Ziobro’s parliamentary immunity in connection with 26 charges the prosecution intends to bring against him. Prosecutors accuse the former prosecutor general, among other things, of leading an organized criminal group, mismanaging funds from the Justice Fund, concealing documents.

Key Takeaways

1. Political scientist Prof. Arkadiusz Modrzejewski sees a clear dissonance between the image Mr. Ziobro cultivated for years and his flight to Hungary. In his view, this could be damaging for PiS. Mr. Ziobro’s decision to seek asylum is also seen as harmful by PiS politicians themselves – though they admit this only in private.
2. Zbigniew Ziobro has applied for political asylum, claiming that he would face political repression in Poland. The former minister of justice is avoiding appearing before the prosecution service.
3. Politicians from the governing coalition accuse Mr. Ziobro of cowardice. They remind him of his own past remarks, in which he mocked those in power over an earlier attempt to bring him before the State Tribunal. The Speaker of the Sejm is due to decide on Mr. Ziobro’s parliamentary salary. Civic Coalition (KO) MEP Dariusz Joński has intervened with the European Commission. The governing coalition is also pinning its hopes on Hungary’s April elections.