No Polish president's role in ex-justice minister's asylum, aide says
Alvin Gajadhur, an aide to Polish President Karol Nawrocki, has denied allegations that the president had helped the former justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, who is being sought by prosecutors, to obtain asylum in Hungary.
Ziobro, a Eurosceptic justice minister in the socially-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government in 2015-2023, is accused of defrauding over PLN 143 million (EUR 33 mln) from a Ministry of Justice fund intended to support crime victims. However, prosecutors have been unable to formally present the charges as Ziobro has managed to flee to Budapest, following in the footsteps of his former deputy, Marcin Romanowski, who is accused of participating in the same criminal group. Both have been granted asylum in Hungary, whose government is in a prolonged conflict with the European Union over rule of law standards.
Speaking to the Polish public television channel TVP Info on Sunday, Gajadhur ruled out Nawrocki's involvement in the asylum process. According to unofficial reports, people close to Ziobro claim Nawrocki played a personal role in helping Ziobro.
"President Karol Nawrocki did not help in ensuring asylum for Minister Ziobro... In fact, it is a question to [Hungarian] Prime Minister [Viktor] Orban how this asylum was granted, because it's a Hungarian issue," Gajadhur said.
Nawrocki, an ally of PiS, accuses the current pro-European government of destroying the justice system in Poland. This allegation arises despite the fact that it was PiS that was in constant clash with the EU over its controversial judicial reforms, which Brussels argued conflicted with the rule of law and European standards.
Orban's Fidesz, a long-time ally of PiS, has also accused the Polish government of persecuting former officials for political reasons. However, this "alliance" may in fact prove uneasy for PiS due to Orban's close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as it sends a conflicting message to PiS supporters, who have been fed with the party's anti-Russian and anti-European rhetoric for years.
Orban is also the only European leader who opposes European aid to Ukraine and is against sanctions on Moscow.
Gajadhur said that "apparently, Hungary sees that the state system in Poland is being demolished by Prime Minister Donald Tusk" and that "one can have doubts whether Zbigniew Ziobro could count on a fair trial here." (PAP)
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