Warsaw court refuses European Arrest Warrant for Zbigniew Ziobro, saying prosecution failed to show he is in the EU
The Warsaw Regional Court on Monday rejected the prosecution’s request for a European Arrest Warrant against Zbigniew Ziobro, ruling there was no proof the former justice minister is in the EU or plans to travel there. A similar motion covering the United Kingdom was also turned down, and both decisions are final.
The Warsaw Regional Court has refused to issue a European Arrest Warrant for Zbigniew Ziobro, the former justice minister and PiS MP who fled Poland after being charged in the Justice Fund investigation. In a parallel ruling, the court also denied a warrant that would have covered his potential presence in the United Kingdom.
Why the court said no
Judge Anna Ptaszek, the court’s criminal spokeswoman, told the press that the prosecution had not demonstrated that Ziobro is currently in the European Union or that he intends to travel here. The same deficiency applied to the separate motion concerning the UK. Both decisions are not subject to appeal, meaning a European Arrest Warrant cannot be issued unless new evidence emerges.
The prosecution may try again
Prosecutor General’s Office spokeswoman Anna Adamiak said the prosecutor would consider a fresh request after examining the court’s written reasoning. In a statement published on the government website she stressed that an ENA remained necessary to detain the suspect should he return to EU territory. She described such a return as probable, noting that Ziobro had lived, worked and received medical care in EU countries and that his declared permanent place of residence is Belgium. Adamiak also recalled that the prosecution had submitted a similar stance to the same court on 19 June 2025.
An ENA is necessary to detain the suspect in the event of his return to European Union territory. Such a return is probable, because the suspect has so far lived, worked and received medical treatment in EU countries, and his declared place of permanent residence is Belgium.
How we got here
Ziobro is a central figure in the probe into irregularities in the Justice Fund, a state programme he oversaw as minister. He faces 26 charges; prosecutors also accuse his former deputy Marcin Romanowski of 19 separate crimes. Both men deny wrongdoing and maintain the case is political. In February, the Mokotów District Court in Warsaw ordered Ziobro’s temporary arrest, and that decision was upheld by the regional court on 1 July after the bench ruled that the most serious allegations, involving substantial damage to the State Treasury, had been rendered credible.
- Mokotów District Court orders temporary arrest of Ziobro
- Ziobro and Romanowski leave Budapest after new PM threatens extradition
- Ziobro announces he is in the United States
- Warsaw Regional Court upholds temporary arrest warrant
- Court refuses to issue European Arrest Warrant
Ziobro’s movements
When the arrest warrant was issued, Ziobro was already in Hungary, where he had obtained political asylum from Viktor Orbán’s government. After Orbán lost power and the new prime minister Péter Magyar signalled an extradition to Poland, Ziobro and Romanowski left Budapest in April. Ziobro announced on 10 May that he was in the United States, saying he had not fled Poland and was using a document granted with his asylum right in Hungary. According to the prosecution, he flew from Milan and entered the US on a journalist visa; TV Republika later reported that he had become a political commentator for the channel.
What comes next
The prosecutor’s office now awaits the written justification before deciding on a renewed ENA application. The ENA process had already faced procedural hurdles: several judges were recused before judge Tomasz Grochowicz was assigned in June, and defence motions to suspend the proceedings were rejected. As long as Ziobro remains outside the EU, his Polish arrest warrant cannot be executed, and the prospect of his return remains uncertain.
