Polish court postpones former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobry’s arrest hearing to February 5th after defense motions delay proceedings.
Court Proceedings
The Warsaw-Mokotow District Court began the delayed hearing at 10:00 AM on January 15 to consider the National Prosecutor’s Office request to arrest Zbigniew Ziobry. The hearing was adjourned shortly after 10:20 AM for “formal issues,” according to the politician’s defense lawyer Bartosz Lewandowski. Two further breaks occurred after 12:20 PM. Before 3:00 PM, the court announced the postponement until February 5th.
Defense attorneys stated multiple motions were filed, including a request to delay due to insufficient notice for Ziobry and objections to the prosecutor’s refusal to grant access to case files, both public and classified. They filed appeals against these procedural decisions, arguing the case cannot proceed until the appeals are resolved.
All three defense lawyers also submitted motions to recuse Presiding Judge Anna Gomoła, citing documentation regarding the case’s progress and the judge’s affiliation with the “Iustitia” Judges’ Association and her stated political positions regarding their client.
Document Dispute
Before the hearing, Bartosz Lewandowski claimed the prosecutor denied the defense access to documents containing “clearly favorable evidence.” He argued the prosecutor is requesting temporary arrest based solely on selected materials, violating the right to defense.
Prosecutor Piotr Woźniak countered that lawyer Adam Gomoła, who represents another accused person in a related case, had access to classified materials there. However, he cannot utilize that knowledge in Ziobry’s case due to legal restrictions. Woźniak explained Gomoła re-requested the classified materials, which were not listed in the original arrest warrant application. The prosecutor is obligated to provide materials specifically requested in the warrant application, which did not include classified ones.
