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A Warsaw court has ordered the detention of former Polish justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who faces multiple corruption charges and has claimed he was granted asylum in Hungary.
Known as the architect of controversial judicial reforms that triggered tensions with the European Commission, Ziobro has rejected the allegations, calling them part of a political witch hunt by Poland’s centrist government.
His lawyer, Adam Gomola, said on Thursday that the court had ordered Ziobro placed in pre-trial detention and indicated plans to appeal the ruling.
The court’s decision could also lead to the issuance of a European arrest warrant.
In November 2025, the Polish parliament voted to lift Ziobro’s immunity and authorised pre-trial detention. Ziobro repeatedly ignored judicial summonses, maintaining that the charges against him were politically motivated.
Earlier this year, Ziobro reportedly claimed he had been granted asylum in Hungary, whose conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is an ally.
Legal experts note, however, that EU nationals cannot formally seek asylum in other EU member states.
Ziobro, who led the ultra-conservative Sovereign Poland party, a junior coalition partner of the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General from 2015 to 2023.
He faces up to 25 years in prison on charges including abuse of power, leading an organised criminal enterprise, and misusing funds intended for crime victims to purchase Israeli Pegasus spyware, allegedly to monitor political rivals.
