Hungary sparks row with Poland by granting asylum to ex-minister

Poland has accused Hungary of performing in a hostile method by granting political asylum to a former Polish deputy justice minister accused of defrauding the state.

Marcin Romanowski, 48, faces 11 fees in Poland, together with defrauding or making an attempt to defraud $40 million (£32 million; €39 million) from a authorized fund meant to assist victims of crime when he was Deputy Minister of Justice underneath the earlier Regulation and Justice. authorities led between 2019 and 2023.

“We take into account the choice of Viktor Orban’s authorities to grant political asylum to Mr. Romanowski, suspected of felony offenses and needed underneath a European arrest warrant, as an act hostile to the Republic of Poland and to the rules of the European Union”, Polish Overseas Minister Radoslaw Sikorski wrote on X on Thursday night.

“Tomorrow we’ll announce our choices.”

On Friday, the Overseas Ministry introduced it might summon Hungary’s ambassador to the nation and ask the European Fee to provoke proceedings in opposition to Budapest if it fails to satisfy its EU obligations.

Mr Romanowski was liable for the justice fund underneath the earlier authorities which misplaced energy within the 2023 elections.

An audit discovered that solely 40% of the funds’ sources had been earmarked for the reintegration of victims of crime and former prisoners, and that contracts had been awarded on the discretion of the minister and not using a due aggressive course of.

Mr. Romanowski denies the accusations.

He fled to Hungary, saying he wouldn’t obtain a good trial in his nation as a result of politicization of prosecutors and judges underneath the present pro-EU coalition authorities led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Such reasoning has been ridiculed by authorities officers, on condition that the Regulation and Justice-led authorities during which Mr. Romanowski served has been extensively condemned by worldwide judicial our bodies, the European Fee and European courts for introducing a reform that politicized the judicial system.

Mr. Tusk’s authorities is attempting to reverse this reform as a result of it has created a two-tiered justice system, made up of judges appointed underneath legislation and justice and older judges, a few of whom don’t acknowledge new ones. judges as a result of they take into account their appointment unlawful.

Regulation and Justice and Mr. Romanowski have accused the present authorities of creating unlawful judicial appointments as a part of its efforts to reverse this reform.

Till Thursday night, the 48-year-old opposition MP had not been seen for nearly two weeks.

He’s stated to haven’t used his telephone or financial institution card since December 6 and failed to seem three days later on the courtroom listening to which dominated that he ought to be remanded in custody earlier than his trial.

On Thursday, a European arrest warrant was issued by a Warsaw courtroom, performing on data from the prosecutor that he had fled to an EU nation.

There was hypothesis that Mr Romanowski was hiding in Hungary.

On Thursday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated the present Polish authorities treats Hungary like an enemy and can supply refuge to anybody going through political persecution in Poland.

Mr. Orban and Poland’s Regulation and Justice celebration share ideological objectives, though they’ve fallen out over the Russian invasion and struggle in opposition to Ukraine.

They largely agree that what they see as a liberal European elite is shifting Europe away from its Christian traditions and eroding the sovereignty of member states.

Mr Romanowski is believed to be a member of the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei, which denied earlier this week that the MP was being hidden by them.

In October 2022, he advised a Polish Catholic radio station that LGBT+ individuals had been “institutionalized deviance.”

A 12 months later, he advocated the dying penalty, even for minors, after a 16-year-old boy was crushed to dying by youngsters.