Final approval for arrest of former minister. Ziobro may be returned to Poland
Warsaw regional court has definitively confirmed the decision on the temporary arrest of Zbigniew Ziobro. This opens the way for extradition from the United States.
Final approval for arrest of former minister. Ziobro may be returned to Poland
On Wednesday 1 July, the court in the capital issued a final decision in the case of the former head of the Justice Ministry. The Warsaw Regional Court in full composition upheld the earlier ruling on the temporary arrest of Zbigniew Ziobro.
The court's press spokesperson, Judge Anna Ptaszek, conveyed the information on the evening of the same day. The judges dismissed the defence's appeal against the order from February. The written justification will be prepared within a week.
According to Judge Ptaszek, the court determined that all conditions for applying the most severe preventive measure had been met. It pointed to the strength of the evidence gathered, the possibility of the suspect destroying evidence material, the severe penalty threatened, and the fact that Ziobro is abroad and evading Polish justice.
The former minister is suspected of crimes related to the Justice Fund, which operated during the PiS coalition. Prosecutors intend to bring 26 counts of indictment against him. The investigation concerns, among other things, the allocation of nearly 100 million zloty for a media project run by a foundation of Father Michał O. and financing electoral activities of the Sovereign Poland grouping.
Ziobro left Poland before the detention decision was carried out. He first found refuge in Hungary, where authorities granted him political asylum. From there he moved to the United States, where he began collaborating with the American editorial office of Telewizja Republika.
The final approval for arrest now allows Polish authorities to request the man's release. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek can submit an extradition request to US authorities. Moreover, this decision will accelerate consideration of an application for a European arrest warrant, which has been awaiting review for months.
Source: Wprost
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)