Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban answered questions from Polish journalists regarding the granting of legal protection to Marcin Romanowski by his government. He said that this formula is a “legal process” in which he does not interfere, while stating that “relations between Poland and Hungary are not good, especially because of the brutal attack by the Polish Minister of Justice on the Hungarian government.”
On Thursday, the head of the prime minister's office Hungarian Gergely Gulyas confirmed that former Deputy Minister of Justice Marcin Romanowski received international protection in the form of political asylum in Hungary. A Law and Justice MP and former deputy minister of justice is a suspect in an investigation into the Justice Fund.
– This is a legal process that is ongoing. What are you talking about? – the Prime Minister of Hungary asked Polish journalists Viktor Orbánasked by them about the Romanowski case and his asylum at the end of the meeting during the European Union summit in Brussels.
– This is not the prime minister's decision. This is a legal process, Orban repeated. – No, no, no, I don't deal with the details. All I know is that relations between Poland and Hungary are not good, especially because of the brutal attack by the Polish Minister of Justice on the Hungarian government two days ago in Politico. This is what I know, he said.
READ ALSO: Romanowski with “international protection” in Hungary. The Polish prosecutor's office comments
Orban referred to an interview given to Politico by Adam Bodnarwhich was published on Wednesday under the title “Hungary under Orbán on the road to no return, warns the Polish minister.” “Bodnar said the example of Poland — whose previous right-wing leadership clashed with Brussels for years before being ousted in 2023 — showed that illiberal governments do not change their methods even under enormous pressure from Brussels,” Politico wrote. – Under the current leadership, it may be difficult for Hungary to return to the EU's good books – said Bodnar, quoted by the portal.
Romanowski fled to Hungary
On Thursday, the District Court in Warsaw issued a European Arrest Warrant against Marcin Romanowski. The National Prosecutor's Office accuses the PiS politician, who previously supervised the Justice Fund, of committing 11 crimes related to the way in which funds from this fund were managed.
On the same day, Romanowski's defense attorney, Bartosz Lewandowski, announced that the Hungarian government had accepted the request PiS MP Marcin Romanowski and granted him international protection. As he said, Romanowski asked for asylum in connection with “politically motivated actions by the services and the National Prosecutor's Office.”
In response to Hungary's decision, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, said that this was an “unfriendly act towards the Republic of Poland” and on Friday the government “will announce decisions” related to it.
Main photo source: TVN24