Polish prosecutors to seek extradition of Zbigniew Ziobro from USA
Warsaw's prosecution office has announced a request for the extradition of former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro from the USA. A court upheld the decision to arrest the politician, who is accused of corruption and embezzlement of funds for the purchase of the Pegasus spyware system.
Polish prosecutors to seek extradition of Zbigniew Ziobro from USA
Warsaw's prosecution office announced on Thursday that it will submit a request for the extradition of former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro from the USA as soon as possible. The decision was made possible by the district court in the capital, which upheld on Thursday the order for the politician's arrest.
Zbigniew Ziobro, who served as Justice Minister and Prosecutor General from 2015 to 2023 in the government of the nationalist party Law and Justice, is accused of corruption offences. According to G4Media.ro, citing AFP, prosecution office spokesperson Anna Ptaszek confirmed that the extradition request will be submitted in the coming days.
The politician is accused of diverting funds intended for crime victims in order to purchase the Pegasus spyware system, which was to be used for surveillance of political opponents. These acts carry a sentence of up to 25 years imprisonment.
Ziobro was the chief architect of the controversial judicial reforms carried out between 2015 and 2023. These reforms caused a serious conflict between Poland and the European Commission, which ruled that they violated the rule of law and the separation of powers.
In November 2025, Polish MPs voted in favour of lifting Ziobro's parliamentary immunity and consenting to his arrest. The politician refused to appear before the court, arguing that the charges against him are the result of a political persecution campaign organised by the government of centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Initially, Ziobro, along with his wife, sought refuge in Budapest. Following Viktor Orbán's electoral defeat in April, the politician made his way to the United States, where he currently resides.
Source: G4Media