Marcin Romanowski's escape to Hungary. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrzej Szejna comments

On Thursday evening, the head of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's office, Gergely Gulyas, confirmed that Marcin Romanowski, former deputy minister of justice, had received Hungary political asylum. In a conversation with journalists, Gulyas argued that this decision results from the Hungarian authorities' belief that there is a crisis of the rule of law in Poland.

The National Prosecutor's Office accuses Romanowski, who as a politician of Solidarna Poland (and then Sovereign Poland) in 2019-2023, was the deputy head of the Ministry of Justice supervising the Justice Fund, of 11 crimes, including participation in an organized criminal group and fixing competitions for money from this fund. On Friday, the national prosecutor announced that seven more charges would be added.

Romanowski's escape to Hungary was commented on in the “#BezKitu” program on TVN24 by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrzej Szejna from the Left.

He stated that “what happened, i.e. political asylum for a criminal wanted by a European Arrest Warrant, is unprecedented.” – I couldn't imagine it before, I admit quite honestly that the country that exists member of the European Unionmay grant political asylum to a criminal operating in an organized criminal group, he said.

– What we did today was, firstly, to call the Hungarian ambassador. It lasted 10 minutes because we won't talk about obvious matters for long – he added. He also referred to the fact that the Polish ambassador to Hungary, Sebastian Kęciek was recalled to the country for “indefinite consultations”. Szejna said that the ambassador would return to Budapest “when Hungary starts acting in accordance with the Treaty on European Union, in accordance with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.”

The deputy head of Polish diplomacy said that “Hungary has been outside the European Union's values ​​and our actions regarding Ukraine for a long time.”

Szejna was further asked about what steps the government intends to take if the Hungarian side does not want to hand over the former deputy minister to the Polish side. – We have Article 259 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. I want to say, this is just the beginning, (…). If Hungary does not respond to our demands, in accordance with Article 259, we will take Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union, he announced.

Any Member State may bring a case before the Court of Justice of the European Union if it considers that another Member State has failed to fulfill one of its obligations under the Treaties.