Romanowski, a lawmaker from the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, has asked the District Court in Warsaw for safe conduct, which would allow him to face prosecutors while remaining at liberty.
The court received his application on August 4. Both the document and its envelope indicate that it was sent from Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria, court spokeswoman Judge Anna Ptaszek said.
National Public Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Przemysław Nowak on Wednesday confirmed that prosecutors had received a copy personally signed by Romanowski.
The former deputy minister stated that he was currently staying at a specific address in Tiraspol, according to Nowak.
Romanowski declared that he would appear before a court or prosecutor at an appointed time on condition that he remain free while the proceedings continue.
A judge assigned to the case asked prosecutors on August 7 to submit their position and provide the case files.
A decision on Romanowski’s application can be made after the judge reviews both, Ptaszek said.
Safe conduct under Polish criminal procedure allows a suspect or defendant who is abroad to return to Poland without being detained in the case covered by the arrangement, provided that conditions set by the court are met.
These include appearing when summoned and not obstructing proceedings.
Romanowski faces charges in an investigation into alleged irregularities involving the Justice Fund, a state fund administered by the justice ministry.
Prosecutors accuse him of offenses including participation in an organized criminal group and manipulating grant competitions so that selected organizations received public money.
A Warsaw court approved his pre-trial detention in December 2024. When authorities were unable to locate him, a wanted notice and later a European arrest warrant were issued.
Romanowski subsequently received political asylum in Hungary. His refugee status and travel documents were revoked in July following a change of government there.
Polish media later reported that he may have traveled through Serbia and Croatia, but his whereabouts had remained uncertain.
The disclosure that he is apparently in Transnistria prompted calls for Polish security services to examine the circumstances of his presence there.
Civic Coalition (KO) Senator Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, a former justice minister and prosecutor-general, argued that Romanowski could not have entered or remained in Transnistria without Russian approval.
Kwiatkowski said Polish intelligence services should determine what sensitive information Romanowski had access to while serving as a deputy justice minister and assess whether there was any risk that such information could have been shared with Russia.
Kwiatkowski also said that any attempt to secure Romanowski’s extradition would require careful legal analysis because Poland does not recognize Transnistria as an independent state.
Ptaszek said she was unaware of any previous cases involving cooperation between Polish judicial authorities and authorities in Transnistria.
Given the political situation in the region, she said, it was difficult to predict how local authorities would respond to a Polish request.
Transnistria broke away from Moldova following Russian military intervention and a brief war in the early 1990s. It has its own government, security forces and currency, but no United Nations member state, including Russia, recognizes it as an independent country.
Russia provides the region with political and economic support.
(rt/gs)
Sources: IAR/PAP