Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro’s removal from parliamentary immunity will not occur until December, as the Sejm awaits procedural formalities, according to RMF FM.
Procedure Could Take Weeks
According to RMF FM, the request to lift Ziobro’s immunity, submitted by Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurka, requires a lengthy formal procedure. First, the Sejm Chancellery must verify the documents’ correctness and submit them to the MP, which essentially requires personal delivery. Only after that stage can Ziobro review the material and possibly renounce immunity. Then several days will be needed to process the request through the appropriate committee. The entire process could take up to several weeks, with the vote scheduled no earlier than December.
Charges: 150 Million Zloty and a Criminal Group
According to the prosecutor’s findings, the case involves irregularities in the allocation of funds from the Justice Fund. Prosecutor claims Ziobro founded and directed an organized criminal group composed of officials and beneficiaries of the Fund. Investigators determined that over 150 million zlotys were embezzled across 26 offences. Some of these funds were allegedly earmarked to purchase Pegasus spyware software.
Sufficiently Justified Suspicion
Defense attorney for the Prosecutor General, Prok. Anna Adamiak, stated that a substantial body of evidence had been gathered. She said the collection included witness statements, suspect explanations, and documents concerning grant applications from the Justice Fund and related data carriers, sufficient to accept a reasonably grounded suspicion that MP Zbigniew Ziobro committed 26 offences. The prosecutor said the offenses mainly involved abuse of authority and neglect of duty as a public official—official crimes. However, the findings were compounded with other crimes, such as property offenses and actions carried out by an organized criminal group.