Polish prosecutors have moved to void justice minister Zbigniew Ziobry’s passports, submitting notices on Nov. 17 and following up with a Nov. 18 administrative decision that revokes the diplomatic passport, while Ziobry has received the official letter.
Ziobry’s Passports to Be Revoked
On 17 November, prosecutors submitted petitions to the Masovian Voivodeship Court and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting the invalidation of Ziobry’s standard identity card and diplomatic passport. The following day, the foreign minister issued an administrative decision voiding the diplomatic passport. Radosław Sikorski confirmed on social media that the action followed the prosecutor’s request; the process for invalidating private documents was carried out by Masovian Voivode Mariusz Frankowski.
Official Letter Received
The Masovian Voivodeship sent a written notice regarding the passport revocation by post, which Ziobry confirmed receipt of. Under Article 73(1) and (1a) of the Administrative Procedure Code, the party may inspect the case file in the public administration premises in the presence of an official. The Voivode will issue the final decision; under the Passport Documents Law, no appeal is available, and a complaint may be filed with the Voivodeship Administrative Court. The revocation takes effect from the decision date and updates are forwarded to the Passport Documents Register, Interpol, and the Schengen Information System, with the decision also sent to the affected party.
Prosecutors Seek 26 Charges
Prosecutors aim to bring 26 charges against the former minister, covering alleged irregularities in managing the Justice Fund, and seek his temporary arrest pending issuance of a warrant. An arrest hearing is scheduled for December 22. The prosecution rejected Ziobry’s earlier proposal to be questioned in a Polish consulate abroad. Prok. Nowak stated that a foreign interview is not permissible, citing the case of former deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski, who fled to Hungary and obtained political asylum after similar charges.