Zbigniew Ziobro told Polsat News that he intends to return to Poland and „bring matters to an end”, but made this conditional on changes in the judiciary. The former justice minister is staying in the US, and in Poland charges have been brought against him and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
The statement was made on Thursday, 29 October, in an interview with Polsat News, as reported by the broadcaster’s website. Ziobro said he is the „target of a gigantic witch hunt” carried out by law enforcement agencies and, as he put it, a part of the judiciary that has been illegally subordinated. He also said he wants to take part in the „settling of accounts” with people he believes are guilty of abuses.
What conditions Ziobro sets
The former minister listed several circumstances under which he would return to the country: restoring the random assignment of judges, reinstating „legal presidents” of common courts, and reinstating people he believes were unlawfully removed. – If the thinking of this government were to be such (…), then of course I would be in Poland the next day – he declared.
At the same time, he said he could „forgive”, which he called a Christian duty, but argued that impunity for such methods could lead to a „mafia state”. He admitted that staying in the United States is „very uncomfortable” for him and that he misses Poland.
A change of tone within a week
As Polsat News reported, in an interview on 23 October Ziobro said he would like to be in the country, but that „there are no conditions for it now”, and that a return would be a „gift for Tusk”. He did not give a date then. On Thursday he set out a specific list of demands, but again without a date.
Passport, arrest and extradition
Ziobro referred to a ruling by the Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw (WSA), which overturned a decision to invalidate his passport, citing a serious violation of procedural rules. The politician compared the confiscation of his passport to practices from the People’s Republic of Poland era.
According to Polsat News, he faces charges in an investigation concerning the Justice Fund. A district court agreed to his arrest in February, and the decision became final in July; a warrant was also issued. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek informed the American side on 14 July about 26 charges, and at the end of August that a request for his arrest and extradition had reached the US. We described the details of his departure in our article on how Ziobro left Hungary and went to the US.
Ziobro maintains that he did not flee Poland and uses a document issued together with asylum granted in Hungary. On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal in Warsaw also overturned a decision to forcibly bring him before the Pegasus investigative committee in September 2025, which according to Polsat News opens the way for him to seek compensation.
What it means
The conditions Ziobro sets concern the staffing of court positions and the rules for assigning cases, so their fulfilment does not depend on his decision, and the government has so far not announced such concessions. As of publication, there is no information on a reaction from the prosecutor’s office or the Ministry of Justice. As long as the arrest order and the warrant remain in force, a return to Poland would mean he would likely be detained, and any extradition from the US will be decided by American authorities in the extradition procedure.
