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Ex-minister Ziobro vows to fight corruption charges, calls case political

09.11.2025 07:00
Former Polish justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro said on Saturday he would take unspecified "legal and political" steps after parliament lifted his immunity a day earlier, allowing prosecutors to press 26 corruption charges linked to the Justice Fund.
Lawmakers vote in the Polish parliament on a motion to lift the immunity of former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, Warsaw, November 7, 2025.
Lawmakers vote in the Polish parliament on a motion to lift the immunity of former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, Warsaw, November 7, 2025.Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak

Speaking from Budapest, where he has been staying for several weeks, Ziobro denied fleeing Poland and claimed the move against him was a politically motivated campaign orchestrated by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

"I will not reveal all my plans now," he said on Catholic broadcaster Radio Maryja.

"I will act in ways that are effective in fighting these bad people, and I will not be silenced."

Ziobro, a leading figure in the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, accused prosecutors of fabricating charges "reminiscent of the 1950s," when innocent people were accused for political reasons.

He said his actions would aim to "restore freedom and justice" in Poland.

His lawyer said the former minister has been abroad for over a year receiving cancer treatment, while prosecutors argue there are no medical obstacles to his detention.

Presidential spokesman Rafał Leśkiewicz called the parliamentary vote to strip Ziobro’s immunity and authorise his possible arrest "absurd and dangerous," accusing the government of "weaponising the law."

Prosecutors allege that Ziobro and his associates diverted millions of złotys (PLN) from the Justice Fund to politically connected groups, a charge PiS politicians dismiss as a witch hunt.

On social media, Ziobro accused Tusk of staging a "lawless spectacle" to deflect attention from problems in cancer care funding, calling on media to "sound the alarm" over delayed treatments.

Prime Minister Tusk denied any political motive, saying the case was about "holding politicians accountable when there is reasonable suspicion of serious crimes."

(ał)

Source: PAP, IAR