On November 27, PiS MP Janusz Kowalski announced a trip to Budapest to meet former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, sparking ridicule and calls for their return.
Kowalski Announces Budapest Mission
Janusz Kowalski posted that he and Robert Bąkiewicz would travel to the Hungarian capital. He said that, together with MP Dariusz Stefaniuk, they would engage in parliamentary dialogue in the V4 framework on energy and artificial intelligence. He added a photo with Zbigniew Ziobro, who is reportedly there despite prosecutors planning to file 26 charges related to misconduct in the Justice Fund.
Online Mockery and Political Retorts
After Kowalski’s post, comments appeared mocking the trip: Tomasz Trela of Lewica joked about greeting Ziobro and eating goulash; Krzysztof Machałek of Growspace questioned whether they intended to form a “parliament on the run”; Sławomir Ćwik of Polski 2050 asked if they would ever return. In reply, Kowalski wrote that he would return the next day to secure 10 million PLN for renovations to the Zamoyski Palace, but that the delegation would not return to power in two years, deeming the project “definitely not.”
Ziobro Affair Context
The prosecutor’s office seeks to charge former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro with 26 offences, including leading a criminal group linked to disbursements from the Justice Fund. The Sejm lifted Ziobro’s immunities and approved provisional arrest, yet Ziobro and colleague Marcin Romanowski are reported to remain in Hungary.
