WARSAW: Poland’s former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, wanted on several criminal charges in his home country, has fled from Hungary to the United States, local media reported on Sunday.

Ziobro, who received asylum from right-wing ally Viktor Orban’s government last year, faces up to 25 years in prison in Poland.

The charges against him in Poland include abuse of power, leading an organised criminal enterprise and using funds meant for crime victims to buy Israeli Pegasus spyware, allegedly to monitor political opponents.

After Orban’s party was ousted from power in an election in April, Hungary’s new Prime Minister Peter Magyar — who was sworn in on Saturday — said that Hungary would no longer protect people wanted elsewhere.

“Hungary will no longer be a dumping ground for internationally wanted criminals,” he declared at a press conference the day after his victory, naming as examples Ziobro and his former deputy, Marcin Romanowski, suspected of embezzling nearly 40 million euros ($47 million).

Right-wing Polish broadcaster Republika reported on Sunday that Ziobro was in the US, while liberal broadcaster TVN24 published a photo of Ziobro at Newark Liberty International Airport, which it said had been taken by another traveller.

The spokesman for Poland’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment on Ziobro’s and Romanowski’s whereabouts.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2026