Hungary has granted political asylum to Zbigniew Ziobro, Poland's former Justice Minister. Mr. Ziobro is facing 26 charges related to the alleged embezzlement of funds from a foundation designated for crime victims and criminal rehabilitation. The accusations include authorizing the purchase of Pegasus spyware, which Poland's current government and a European Parliament team found was used to hack the phones of political opponents, including current Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk's family members. Additionally, he is accused of awarding Justice Fund grants to various organizations without proper competition.
Mr. Ziobro served as Justice Minister from 2015 to 2023 under the previous right-wing Law and Justice (PiS)-led government, which shares political alignment with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He maintains that he is a victim of political persecution and has described the actions against him as a "creeping dictatorship" and a "vendetta" waged by Prime Minister Tusk.
This is not an isolated incident; Mr. Ziobro is the second politician from the former PiS-led government to receive asylum in Hungary, following his former deputy Michal Romanowski last year. If convicted, Mr. Ziobro could face up to 25 years in prison.