The Polish justice minister has criticized Hungary for not executing the European Arrest Warrant against a former ruling Law and Justice (PiS) MP, who has been granted asylum in that country.
Marcin Romanowski, wanted under a European Arrest Warrant (EAW), is accused of committing 11 crimes, which include defrauding €25.4 million from the Justice Fund and an attempt to defraud a further €13.7 million.
Having fled Poland, Romanowski was granted asylum in Hungary in December 2024, which caused tensions between the two countries.
“We are dealing with the obstruction of the execution of an important instrument of EU law,” Minister Adam Bodnar told commercial television broadcaster TVN24 on Saturday evening, referring to Hungary's failure to execute the EAW against Romanowski.
Bodnar declared that Poland would use all legal and political tools on the EU level to have Romanowski extradited, adding that he had already asked Michael Schmidt, the president of Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, for intervention in this matter.
“This is an EU platform that ensures proper cooperation between courts and prosecutor's offices,” Bodnar explained.
He also stated that Poland's prosecution had already sent the European Investigation Order (EIO) regarding Romanowski to Hungary.
The European Investigation Order (EIO) is a judicial decision issued in or validated by the judicial authority in one EU country to have investigative measures to gather or use evidence in criminal matters carried out in another EU country.
On February 22, Poland's lower house revoked Romanowski's parliamentary immunity.
The Justice Fund is a special reserve originally designed to help victims of crimes. Romanowski is said to have been rigging public tenders to benefit select companies and organisations.
Prosecutors say the funds were misused and spent, among other unrelated purposes, on the purchase of the highly-invasive spying system Pegasus, which was used to hack phones of the then opposition figures and government critics.
Budapest has refused to extradite Romanowski despite the EAW. The current Polish government claims that Romanowski's asylum is a result of an informal alliance between Hungary's populist ruling party, Fidesz, and Poland's ex-ruling party, PiS.
Having fled Poland, Romanowski was granted asylum in Hungary in December 2024, which caused tensions between the two countries.
“We are dealing with the obstruction of the execution of an important instrument of EU law,” Minister Adam Bodnar told commercial television broadcaster TVN24 on Saturday evening, referring to Hungary's failure to execute the EAW against Romanowski.
Bodnar declared that Poland would use all legal and political tools on the EU level to have Romanowski extradited, adding that he had already asked Michael Schmidt, the president of Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, for intervention in this matter.
“This is an EU platform that ensures proper cooperation between courts and prosecutor's offices,” Bodnar explained.
He also stated that Poland's prosecution had already sent the European Investigation Order (EIO) regarding Romanowski to Hungary.
The European Investigation Order (EIO) is a judicial decision issued in or validated by the judicial authority in one EU country to have investigative measures to gather or use evidence in criminal matters carried out in another EU country.
On February 22, Poland's lower house revoked Romanowski's parliamentary immunity.
The Justice Fund is a special reserve originally designed to help victims of crimes. Romanowski is said to have been rigging public tenders to benefit select companies and organisations.
Prosecutors say the funds were misused and spent, among other unrelated purposes, on the purchase of the highly-invasive spying system Pegasus, which was used to hack phones of the then opposition figures and government critics.
Budapest has refused to extradite Romanowski despite the EAW. The current Polish government claims that Romanowski's asylum is a result of an informal alliance between Hungary's populist ruling party, Fidesz, and Poland's ex-ruling party, PiS.
