The prosecuted ex-minister Ziobro escaped from Hungary to the USA with a visa issued on special instructions from Washington. Reuters describes the behind-the-scenes intervention of American diplomacy.
- Zbigniew Ziobro obtained an American visa for the direct intervention of Christopher Landau.
- The visa was issued at the embassy in Budapest before the change of government.
- Landau justified the granting of the visa on the grounds of national security, Ziobro received a journalist’s visa.
The prosecuted former Polish Minister of Justice, who escaped from Hungary to the USA, Zbigniew Ziobro, obtained an American visa on the authority of the US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. This was written by the Reuters agency on Monday, citing sources familiar with the case. The Warsaw correspondent TASR informs about it.
The agency said Landau ordered the consular section of the US State Department to have the embassy in Budapest issue Ziobra a visa before the new government of Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar took office.
National security reasons
Reuters sources claim that Landau argued national security reasons when processing the visas. According to one source, Ziobro obtained a journalist’s visa. The US State Department declined to comment, citing data confidentiality.
Ziobro faces 26 charges in Poland. In November 2025, the Sejm stripped him of his immunity and also agreed to his detention and detention. However, an attempt to produce him by the Homeland Security Agency (ABW) failed as he was not in the country at the time. The former minister considers the accusations to be politicized and is staying abroad for fear of an unfair trial.
Orbán’s protection in Hungary
The politician left Poland for Hungary, where Viktor Orbán’s government granted him international protection. New Prime Minister Péter Magyar already announced during the campaign that his cabinet would not prevent the extradition of Law and Justice (PiS) politicians to Poland if they remained in the country.
The Polish Foreign Ministry announced last week that it was awaiting Washington’s response to a diplomatic note regarding Ziobr’s stay in the US. Only then will he decide on a possible request for assistance from the United States in prosecuting him.
