Poland Submits Extradition Request for Zbigniew Ziobro to the United States

On Monday, the Polish prosecutor’s office announced that it has diplomatically submitted an extradition request to the United States for former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro.

Extradition Request Sent to the United States

On Monday, the prosecutor’s office announced that it transmitted a US extradition request via diplomatic channels, with the assistance of Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek, for the former PiS government Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro. The request covers 19 out of 26 charges described by the prosecutor’s office in the statement of charges against Ziobro. In mid-July, Żurek stated that the document was nearly 300 pages long and awaited translation into English.

Zbigniew Ziobro addressed the extradition request on Monday evening on X, stating that he has deep respect for American democracy, the US Constitution, and the rule of law, and trusts the independence of American institutions. Consequently, he submitted himself to the assessment of United States authorities with complete peace of mind.

Readiness for Verification and Political Context

He declared his readiness for a reliable, honest, and impartial verification of the charges against him, as well as the entire political context of the proceedings. He emphasized his belief that American institutions will examine not only the content of the request but also the circumstances of its creation, the actions of Polish authorities, and whether the justice system was unlawfully and instrumentally used to fight a political opponent.

Ziobro stated that Donald Tusk, Adam Bodnar, and Waldemar Żurek publicly prejudged his guilt before any independent court reviewed the case, asserting that a political verdict and witch-hunt occurred first, followed by state apparatus involvement to give the appearance of legality, and he will not submit to this lawlessness.

Accusations Regarding the Justice Fund

In Ziobro’s view, Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek apparently assumes the United States will execute any demand formulated by the current Warsaw government, whereas American democracy does not work that way, expressing faith that American institutions will easily recognize the political motives of the case.

The charges against Zbigniew Ziobro concern an investigation into irregularities in the spending of money from the Justice Fund, with the prosecutor accusing the former minister of leading an organized criminal group and abusing his office, while Ziobro denies the charges and claims he is the target of a political witch-hunt.