Poland to seek extradition of ex-justice minister from US

WARSAW: A Warsaw court has upheld criminal charges against Poland’s former justice minister, opening up the potential for his extradition from the United States, prosecutors confirmed to AFP Thursday.
Zbigniew Ziobro — who served as justice minister and public prosecutor general between 2015 and 2023 under the conservative-nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government — faces up to 25 years in prison in Poland if convicted.
The charges include abuse of power, leading an organized criminal enterprise and using funds meant for crime victims to buy Israeli Pegasus spyware, allegedly to monitor political opponents.
The latest court decision “makes it possible to initiate extradition proceedings,” Anna Ptaszek, a spokeswoman for the national prosecutor’s office, told AFP.
“We know that he is currently on the territory of the United States, so a request for his extradition will be submitted as soon as possible,” she added.
The former minister is known as the architect of judicial reforms that sparked a standoff between Poland and the European Commission.
In November 2025, Polish MPs voted to lift Ziobro’s parliamentary immunity and authorize his pre-trial detention.
Ziobro has repeatedly refused to respond to judicial summonses, likening the charges against him to a witch-hunt against conservatives.
Earlier this year he said he had received “asylum” in Hungary — the governed by his ally Viktor Orban — but later fled to the US.