Hungary’s Asylum Grant to Former Polish Minister Provokes Diplomatic Conflict with Poland

Poland has leveled an accusation of hostile conduct against Hungary following its decision to grant political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, a former Polish deputy justice minister. Mr. Romanowski, 48, is currently facing 11 charges in Poland, which include allegations of defrauding or attempting to defraud $40m (£32m; €39m) from a justice fund. This fund was designated to assist crime victims during his tenure as deputy justice minister under the previous Law and Justice-led government, from 2019 to 2023. Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski stated on X on Thursday night that his country views Hungary’s action as an affront. He wrote, “We consider the decision of Viktor Orban’s government to grant political asylum to M.Romanowski, a suspect in criminal offences and wanted under a European Arrest Warrant, to be an act hostile to the Republic of Poland and the principles of the European Union.” Sikorski also indicated, “Tomorrow we will announce our decisions.” The foreign ministry announced on Friday that it would summon Hungary’s ambassador to Poland. Furthermore, it declared its intention to ask the European Commission to initiate proceedings against Budapest should Hungary not comply with its EU obligations. Under the previous government, which was defeated in the 2023 election, Mr. Romanowski held responsibility for the justice fund. An audit revealed that merely 40% of the fund’s resources were allocated to crime victims and the rehabilitation of former prisoners. It also found that contracts were awarded based on the minister’s discretion, bypassing proper competitive procedures. Mr. Romanowski maintains his innocence regarding these charges. He sought refuge in Hungary, asserting that he would not obtain a fair trial in Poland due to what he described as politicised prosecutors and judges operating under the current pro-EU coalition government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Governing officials dismissed this justification, noting that the Law and Justice-led government, in which Mr. Romanowski served, had faced widespread condemnation from international judicial bodies, the European Commission, and European courts for implementing reforms that politicised the judiciary. Prime Minister Tusk’s government is currently working to reverse that reform, as it established a two-tier judicial system comprising judges appointed during the Law and Justice administration and older judges. Some of these older judges do not acknowledge the legitimacy of the new judges, deeming their appointments unlawful. Both Law and Justice and Mr. Romanowski have accused the present government of making unlawful judicial appointments in its attempts to dismantle the aforementioned reform. The 48-year-old opposition MP had been out of public sight for nearly two weeks until Thursday night. Reports indicated he had not utilized his phones or bank cards since 6 December and did not appear at a court hearing three days later, which resulted in a ruling for his pre-trial remand in custody. A Warsaw court issued a European Arrest Warrant on Thursday, based on information from prosecutors suggesting he had absconded to an EU country. Speculation had circulated that Mr. Romanowski was concealing himself in Hungary. On Thursday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that the current Polish government was treating Hungary as an an adversary. He affirmed his intention to provide refuge to any individual facing political persecution in Poland. Despite a disagreement concerning Russia’s invasion and war against Ukraine, Mr. Orban and Poland’s Law and Justice party share common ideological objectives. They generally concur that a “liberal EU-elite,” as they perceive it, is steering Europe away from its Christian traditions and diminishing the sovereignty of member states. Mr. Romanowski is reportedly affiliated with the conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei, which earlier this week denied claims that they were sheltering the MP. In October 2022, he informed a Polish Catholic radio station that LGBT+ represented “institutionalised deviancy.” A year subsequent to this, he publicly supported the death penalty, including for minors, following an incident where a 16-year-old boy was fatally beaten by teenagers. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.