In a series of 26 votes, lawmakers stripped Ziobro of his parliamentary immunity in connection with all 26 criminal charges prosecutors seek to file against him.
Zbigniew Ziobro. Photo: PAP/Art Service
The house then voted 244-198 to authorize his detention and potential pre-trial arrest.
According to the National Public Prosecutor's Office, Ziobro "created and led an organized criminal group" that misused more than PLN 150 million (EUR 35.4 million, USD 41.2 million) from the Justice Fund--a government program intended to help victims of crime--to benefit political allies and associates.
Prosecutors allege Ziobro acted to obtain personal and political gains for himself and others, aided by his former deputies Marcin Romanowski and Michał Woś and Law and Justice (PiS) lawmaker Dariusz Matecki.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk welcomed the decision, saying it showed that “accountability has become a fact.”
"I have no need for revenge, but I do have a strong need for politicians to be held accountable for what they do—especially when there is reasonable suspicion, as the prosecutors’ motions show, that they committed serious crimes,” Tusk told reporters after the vote.
Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said the outcome demonstrated that "the law is equal for everyone."
"We will restore the rule of law and hold accountable all those who violated it," he said, adding that authorities were prepared to act "in accordance with procedures" to bring Ziobro to justice.
Żurek said prosecutors were ready to issue a European arrest warrant if necessary amid reports that Ziobro was in Viktor Orban's Hungary, a close ally of his former government.
Government spokesman Adam Szłapka wrote on X that "for the first time in history a Polish justice minister will have to answer for heading an organized criminal group."
Opposition leader Jarosław Kaczyński condemned the vote as politically motivated, accusing the government of being “incapable of governing” and of seeking to “persecute those who fought crime.”
He vowed that “those involved in this” would face justice if his right-wing Law and Justice party returns to power.
Ziobro, who served as justice minister and prosecutor-general from 2015 to 2023, has denied wrongdoing and previously described the allegations as "absurd" and "politically motivated."
Prosecutors have said there are no medical grounds to prevent Ziobro's detention, despite claims from his allies that he remains seriously ill after recent cancer treatment.
If convicted on all counts, Ziobro could face up to 25 years in prison.
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Source: TVP Info, IAR, PAP