After the Sejm waived Zbigniew Ziobra's immunity and gave the green light to his possible arrest, the erstwhile Minister of Justice made the move. Through his proxy, he provided 2 correspondence addresses to the prosecutor – 1 in Brussels, the another in Budapest. That's where he thinks the interrogation might take place.
Ziobro won't come to the country
According to the defender, since the erstwhile head of the Ministry of Justice no longer lives in Poland, it would be appropriate to usage global procedures. It was proposed to carry out consular assistance or in cooperation with abroad investigative authorities.
– Mr. Minister can appear at the agreed place and date – he has given "Rzeczpospolita" to Mr. Bartosz Lewandowski, a politician's attorney.
Let us remind you that Zbigniew Ziobro is simply a key figure in the investigation of irregularities in the possession of funds from the Justice Fund. The D.A. wants to charge him with as many as 26 charges – from overexecution of powers to failure to fulfil his duties and incorrect grant award. This is about multi-million-dollar measures, which according to investigators have been distributed on a discretionary basis, frequently without formal criteria.
The fund, which was expected to support victims of crime, was, according to the D.A., utilized to finance projects unrelated to his mission. It shall indicate cases where the money went to or was spent in a way that did not have the right to receive it.
Budapest or Brussels. Where's Zbigniew Ziobro today?
Although the exact whereabouts of Zbigniew Ziobry were not officially confirmed for this moment, his lawyer admitted that he had not been in Poland for a long time. According to unofficial information, he could live in Budapest.
His wife, Patrycja Kotecka-Ziobro, works in Brussels, where she serves as assistant to the PiS Euro MPs in the European Parliament. There is so besides a good chance that Ziobro is in Belgium.
The proposal for a proceeding abroad may effort to anticipate the prosecution's actions and avoid forced enforcement. However, this does not mean that the substance will slow down. Investigators can usage global legal means to carry out activities even outside Poland.
Two interrogation scenarios. Remotely or by consular services
Two solutions are active – either the Polish consul (or the individual authorised by him) will be interviewed, or the actions will be carried out by Belgian or Hungarian services if specified a request is made by the Polish side. It is not known which solutions will be chosen by the prosecution, or whether it will accept the conditions proposed by Ziobra. The application for an global arrest warrant is besides inactive not excluded.
It's a tough, political calculation.
It appears that the erstwhile Minister of Justice has chosen an highly calculating defence strategy. Zbigniew Ziobro is well aware that his political opponents and a large part of the public are just waiting for a media performance from his detention.
When proposing a proceeding in Brussels or Budapest, he plays 2 fronts: he does not formally evade responsibility, but at the same time takes distant the satisfaction of the ruling authorities and the anticipation of making his arrest "political hunting", as the right-wing politicians point out.
