Letter from Tiraspol
The erstwhile Deputy Minister of Justice Marcin Romanowski applied to the territory Court in Warsaw for an iron letter. The contents of the paper and the information on the envelope show that the consignment was sent from Tiraspol, located in the separatist, pro-Russian Transnistrian area.
This information was confirmed by Bartosz Lewandowski a fewer hours later. He reported that the PiS had both requested an iron letter and a declaration stating that he was outside the European Union. The spokesperson for the National Prosecutor's Office, Proc. Przemysław Nowak, confirmed in turn that a copy of the application was sent to the prosecutor's office. As he pointed out, the paper was "personally signed" by Marcin Romanowski. The PiS MP besides stated that he had, in accordance with applicable regulations, a passport issued for another data. As he explained, this solution is intended to operate on a akin basis to those applied to crown witnesses and to let them to decision freely outside the European Union.
On the net there was almost immediately speculation that the entry of Romanowski to Transnistria could be impossible without the cognition of Russian services.
Pro-Russian area
Krystyna Kurczab-Redlich, a longtime correspondent in Russia, points out that Transnistria is simply a pro-Russian, separatist region of Moldova, where russian symbols and influences have been preserved. In her opinion, it is peculiarly worrying that Romanowski was about to hit an area controlled by the pro-Russian authorities.
Przemysław Rosati, president of the ultimate Bar Council, assessed in TVN24 that Romanowski's decision could be due to both desperation and thoughtful strategy. In his opinion, the request for an iron letter is an effort to find the conditions under which the wanted individual will agree to return to Poland and face justice. Rosati besides pointed out that granting specified a paper would mean repealing the provisional arrest and warrant that Romanowski would not be detained again.
Rosati pointed out that if Poland did not accept Romanowski's terms, it may be virtually impossible to bring him from Transnistria. As he explained, Chisinau does not effectively control this area, and Poland does not have an extradition agreement with Moldova. The existing law enforcement agreement does not give emergence to extradition.
Rosati besides pointed out that the very fact that he sent a paper from Tiraspol “does not mean that he is actually there.”
The affair with the Justice Fund
Marcin Romanowski is simply a fishy in an investigation into irregularities erstwhile distributing funds from the Justice Fund. The prosecution accuses him of participating in an organized criminal group and influencing the results of grant competitions. According to investigators, he was to indicate which entities should receive the money, and to urge correcting flawed applications and allowing backing to non-compliant entities. A PiS politician does not admit to his alleged actions.
In December 2024, Romanowski received protection in Hungary from Viktor Orbán's government. After Péter Magyar had changed power and assumed the position of Prime Minister, the Hungarian authorities revoked his exile status. The same step was taken towards Zbigniew Ziobra and his wife Patrycja Kotecka-Ziobro. Ziobro is presently in the US, and in late July Poland applied to the American authorities for his extradition.
