Asylum was also reportedly granted to Ziobro’s wife, Patrycja Kotecka.
Earlier, protection had been extended to his former deputy at the justice ministry, Marcin Romanowski, who served under the previous right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) government.
Both men are suspected of criminal offences linked to alleged irregularities in Poland’s Justice Fund, including claims that competitions for grants worth millions of zlotys were manipulated.
Responding to questions from journalists, the Commission’s spokesperson, Markus Lammert, stressed that Brussels does not comment on individual asylum cases. He nonetheless recalled the applicable legal framework, under which all EU member states are considered safe countries.
Lammert emphasised that EU law is based on the presumption that every member state ensures an adequate level of protection for fundamental rights and freedoms. This principle, he noted, is anchored in the EU treaties and has been jointly endorsed by all member governments.
Departures from this assumption are possible only in narrowly defined and exceptional circumstances, such as when a member state is subject to Article 7 proceedings over systemic breaches of EU law.
Poland, however, is no longer covered by that mechanism.
The European Commission brought the seven-year procedure to an end in May 2024, concluding that there was no longer a clear risk of a serious violation of EU law in the country. Hungary is currently the only EU member state still facing Article 7 proceedings.
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Source: IAR/X/@PR24_pl/@bplomecka