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Wanted former Polish minister flees Hungary as Magyar takes power

2 min read
Wanted former Polish minister flees Hungary as Magyar takes power
A copy of the arrest warrant for Zbigniew Ziobro is photographed for illustration. Krakow, Poland, on February 6th, 2026. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Wanted former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro fled Hungary after newly sworn-in Prime Minister Peter Magyar said he would extradite him, Ziobro told Polish outlet TV Republika on May 10.

Poland issued an arrest warrant for Ziobro in February after he was accused of 26 offenses, including deploying spyware against political opponents and misuse of public funds.

Former Hungarian leader Viktor Orban granted Ziobro asylum, but has since lost power after Magyar won a landslide in Hungary's April 12 election.

"I'm in the United States. It's an incredibly complex and beautiful country, the world's strongest democracy, our ally and guarantor of Poland's security against the threats of an increasingly dangerous world," Ziobro said.

The former minister denied the allegations and blamed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for influencing the proceedings.

Ziobro also denied fleeing to Hungary, saying that he was attending a conference in Budapest.

"This is untrue. I was legally present at the previously announced conference in Budapest devoted to lawlessness and violations of the rule of law standards by Donald Tusk's government and the European Union," he claimed.

Ziobro will now work as a political commentator for the Polish outlet, TV Republika, the channel and Ziobro announced.

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Volodymyr Ivanyshyn

News Editor

Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.

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