Police check Tiraspol lead as new information emerges on Marcin Romanowski

Polish authorities are investigating whether former Deputy Justice Minister Marcin Romanowski is hiding in Transnistria, cooperating with Moldovan services while he faces an arrest warrant and seeks a letter of safe conduct.

Police investigate Tiraspol lead

Polish authorities are attempting to determine whether Marcin Romanowski is staying in Transnistria. The police have launched cooperation with Moldovan services, and according to unofficial information from Polsat News, have also requested assistance in pursuing him. At the same time, his application for a letter of safe conduct was submitted to the Warsaw court.

Polish security agencies are expanding efforts to locate Marcin Romanowski. According to RMF FM, police officers searching for the former deputy justice minister have opened channels of cooperation with Moldovan services primarily to verify information indicating that Romanowski may be in Tiraspol, the capital of the separatist Transnistria region.

According to RMF FM findings, officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police and the Metropolitan Police Headquarters contacted the International Police Cooperation Bureau of the National Police Headquarters. The goal is to transmit the relevant request to the Moldovan side. Authorities in Chisinau are to check by available methods whether Romanowski is indeed at the address indicated in the correspondence sent to Poland.

Polsat News reported unofficially that Polish authorities have also requested assistance in prosecuting Romanowski. This is a significant expansion of current operations, as correspondence originating from Tiraspol has become the first concrete clue regarding the politician’s possible current whereabouts.

Tiraspol at the center of operations

A major problem for Polish authorities is the status of Transnistria. Formally part of the Republic of Moldova, in practice it has functioned since the early 1990s as a separatist territory with its own administrative and security structures. Authorities in Chisinau do not exercise full control there.

The significance of this limitation is also confirmed by official documents from Moldovan authorities. During talks between representatives of Chisinau and Tiraspol, the Moldovan side pointed to the problem of limited access by its institutions to the region and the ability to carry out actions provided for by Moldovan law.

This means that merely submitting a request to Chisinau does not predetermine whether Moldovan services will be able to directly verify a specific address in Tiraspol. However, information obtained by the Moldovan side may confirm or undermine the hypothesis that Romanowski is in Transnistria.

Letter of safe conduct application in Warsaw

Concurrently with police actions, a new stage of proceedings began before the Regional Court in Warsaw. On Wednesday, August 12, an application by Marcin Romanowski for the issuance of a letter of safe conduct was filed there.

In the application, the former deputy justice minister declared that he will appear before the court or prosecutor at a designated date if he is allowed to stand trial from liberty.

A letter of safe conduct is an institution provided for in the Code of Criminal Procedure. It can be issued by the locally competent regional court to a person staying abroad if statutory conditions are met. Its essence is to ensure that the accused remains at liberty until the final conclusion of proceedings, provided they fulfill certain procedural obligations.

However, the mere submission of the application does not mean Romanowski will obtain this protection. The decision rests with the court, which must assess both the legal grounds and the circumstances of the specific case.

European Arrest Warrant and Justice Fund

The case has an extensive procedural background. Marcin Romanowski is wanted in connection with an investigation concerning the Justice Fund. The prosecutor’s office accuses him of a total of 19 crimes, including participation in an organized criminal group and actions related to competitions funded by the Justice Fund.

According to investigators, the charges also concern the misappropriation of over PLN 107 million and the attempted misappropriation of over PLN 58 million. Romanowski does not plead guilty and presents the proceedings against him as politically motivated.

After authorities failed to locate the former deputy minister following the application of temporary arrest, a search was initiated. In December 2024, a European Arrest Warrant was issued against Romanowski. The politician reported at the time that he had obtained asylum in Hungary.

In subsequent months, the matter of the arrest warrant was the subject of further court decisions and prosecutorial actions. In February 2026, the Regional Court in Warsaw re-issued a European Arrest Warrant for Romanowski.

Interpol red notice and international searches

Polish authorities are also utilizing tools beyond the European Arrest Warrant. According to RMF FM, the National Police Headquarters, acting at the request of the prosecutor’s office, has again submitted documents to Interpol regarding the inclusion of Romanowski in the red notice system.

Interpol’s red notice is used to transmit information to member states’ services about a wanted person for the purpose of locating and detaining them. However, it is not an international arrest warrant in itself. The course of action after receiving it depends on the laws applicable in a specific country.

The prosecutor’s office previously made other attempts to determine Romanowski’s whereabouts. In May 2026, it asked the US Ambassador to Poland to determine whether the former deputy minister had stayed in the US territory and on the basis of what documents he might have crossed the border. An analogous request was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The prosecutor’s office also reported that Romanowski’s Polish passports had been invalidated.

Background of the Justice Fund

Romanowski served as deputy minister of justice during the United Right government and was among those responsible for the Justice Fund area. The investigation conducted by the National Prosecutor’s office concerns the manner of distributing money from the fund and competition procedures.

According to investigators, the actions attributed to Romanowski reportedly included indicating entities that were to receive funds and making decisions affecting the course of competitions. The charges against the former deputy minister are part of a broader proceeding concerning the operation of the Justice Fund during the period when the Ministry of Justice was led by Zbigniew Ziobro.

The new lead involving Transnistria complicates the actions of Polish law enforcement agencies. Until now, a significant direction has been Hungary, where Romanowski obtained international protection. Currently, authorities are verifying the possibility that the politician has moved outside the European Union and is in an area where the constitutional authorities of Moldova do not exercise full control.