Former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro stays in Budapest, refusing to return to Warsaw amid a 26‑charge immunity removal hearing set for Thursday, 6 Nov.
Parliamentary Immunity Hearing Scheduled
The Parliamentary Rules and Procedure Committee will review a request to lift Ziobro’s parliamentary immunity and grant him temporary arrest on Thursday, 6 November. Prosecutors seek prosecution on 26 charges, including forming and directing an organized crime group and defrauding the Justice Fund. Voting is slated for Friday afternoon after a plenary session at 23:30.
Ziobro’s Current Status and Statements from Budapest
Ziobro, who failed to attend the Sejm on Thursday, is currently in Budapest. In interviews with right‑leaning Polish television and at the Center for Basic Rights he said he plans to take an active role in the proceedings but has not re‑entered Poland. Attempts to reach the institution by phone were unsuccessful as the public number was unavailable.
Threat of Immediate Arrest on Return
Ziobro explained that he had booked a ticket to Warsaw but chose to remain in Hungary because he would be immediately arrested at the airport—regardless of parliamentary approval—if he returned. He said such a scenario would prevent him from freely responding to the charges outlined in the immunity‑waiver request.
Center for Basic Rights and the Freedom Institute
The Center for Basic Rights, closely aligned with Viktor Orbán’s government, hosts the Hungarian‑Polish Freedom Institute. The institute, led by former Ziobro deputy Marcin Romanowski, studies trends that undermine Western civilization values and develops predictive mechanisms against these threats while critiquing the Tusk administration.
