Hungary revokes refugee status of ex-Polish justice minister Ziobro and his deputy Romanowski

Diplomatic confirmation

Radosław Sikorski posted on X that he had received written confirmation of Hungary’s decision, which also invalidated the refugees’ travel documents.

The wheels of justice turn slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.

The move ends a months-long diplomatic tussle between Warsaw and Budapest that began when Viktor Orbán’s government granted asylum to two Polish opposition politicians.

The Justice Fund investigation

Zbigniew Ziobro, a Law and Justice (PiS) MP, faces 26 criminal charges in Poland related to the alleged misuse of the state Justice Fund. Prosecutors accuse him of leading an organised criminal group and abusing his office for political and personal gain. On Wednesday, a Warsaw district court upheld a temporary arrest warrant against him. Marcin Romanowski, his former deputy, is also under investigation for large-scale financial irregularities linked to the fund. Poland is seeking his extradition under a second European Arrest Warrant.

Ziobro pushes back

Questioned by reporters, Ziobro accused Donald Tusk’s government of fearing an independent court. He claimed the charges are fabricated and attacked the prime minister and minister Waldemar Żurek personally.

They’re afraid of a confrontation in court, where all the charges of lawlessness will be raised, but also the baselessness of the accusations, which are made up — from the dirty finger of Tusk and Żurek.

He added that he hasn’t spoken to his Hungarian lawyer yet and will verify the decision, stressing that an appeals process exists. On his stay in the United States, Ziobro argued that his visa remains valid regardless of the travel document.

They don’t know that a visa is independent of the document on which it was issued. A visa authorises you to function within a given country, or in the United States, regardless of whether that document is currently valid or not.

How they got asylum, and why it was pulled

Ziobro was granted asylum in Hungary on 22 December 2025, under Viktor Orbán’s government, which argued the Polish prosecution was politically motivated. His wife, not charged in Poland, also received protection. Romanowski had arrived earlier, in late 2024, triggering a diplomatic row between Warsaw and Budapest. After Orbán lost the spring 2026 election to Peter Magyar, the new cabinet promised to review the status of the two politicians and to extradite them. This week’s revocation is the culmination of that pledge.

Where they are now

Ziobro left Hungary after the election, flying from Milan to New York on a “foreign media member” visa to work as a political commentator for TV Republika. He confirmed he was in the US on 10 May. Romanowski vacated his Budapest apartment at the end of April and has since been sighted in Serbia and Croatia, according to Polish media reports. Analysts note that the Hungarian decision is largely symbolic while Ziobro remains in the United States and extradition is seen as unlikely under the current administration.