Court finds procedural failures

The Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw has overturned the decision by the Mazovian voivode to annul the passport of former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro. His attorney, Adam Gomoła, announced the outcome on Thursday, 22 October, after a hearing on 11 September 2026. The court did not rule on the substance of the annulment. Its objection concerned how the case was served: the voivode's office sent the notice opening proceedings to Ziobro's registered address although officials knew he did not live there, and the notice was not properly delivered to any of his attorneys.

Judge Małgorzata Jarecka said in an official statement that the court found a breach of a basic procedural right. The court held that the proceedings were carried out with a significant violation of procedural rules, which under administrative law can justify reopening the case. She put it this way:

“The party's right to active participation in the proceedings has been violated.”

What the ruling leaves intact

The voivode's spokeswoman, Luiza Jurgiel-Żyła, stressed that the court's objections were procedural and did not touch the legal basis for annulment, which follows from the Act on Passport Documents. The office received the written reasoning on 15 October and is studying it. She said:

“The judgment is currently being analysed, and the office has 30 days to file a cassation complaint with the Supreme Administrative Court.”

The deadline for that complaint falls on 14 November. Until then the ruling remains open to appeal.

Ziobro's response

In an interview with Telewizja Republika, Ziobro said the court's reasoning was the best answer to the decision. He argued that the authorities blocked him from taking part in the case by refusing his requests to review the file and to submit motions, and he called this a deliberate breach of the law. He said he was the first citizen since 1989 whom the authorities had treated this way in criminal proceedings, and that even dangerous criminals who fled abroad had never lost their passports. He told the broadcaster:

“This testifies to the political character of this entire proceeding.”

In a post announcing the ruling, Gomoła said it was a shame for Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński, who had announced the original decision, and attached a court letter. According to that letter, the court ordered the voivode to pay Ziobro 797 zł in costs.

Background to the annulment

The passport was annulled in December 2025 at the request of the National Prosecutor's Office, which is running criminal proceedings against Ziobro. The voivode's decision is dated 16 December 2025, and Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński announced it. Prosecutors allege that Ziobro led an organised criminal group, abused his office and ordered subordinates to break the law to steer Justice Fund grants to selected entities. In total 26 charges have been brought against him.

Hungary, the United States and extradition

After the scandal broke, Ziobro spent several months in Hungary, where he obtained international protection. After a change of government in Budapest, Hungary withdrew his refugee status and invalidated his travel documents. His wife and Marcin Romanowski, a former deputy justice minister, faced a similar fate.

In May 2026 Ziobro said he was in the United States, where he used a document issued by Hungarian authorities. Polish prosecutors requested his extradition and a European Arrest Warrant, but the Warsaw District Court refused to issue the warrant, saying there was no evidence he was in the European Union. In early July, Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek formally informed the American side of the charges. The arrest and extradition request has reached the United States, and no decision by the American authorities is yet known.