Hungary granted political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, Poland’s MP from the Law and Justice (PiS) party and former deputy justice minister, according to bne IntelliNews.
Romanowski faces numerous criminal charges in Poland, including participation in an organised crime group and embezzlement of public funds. Granting him asylum has further exacerbated diplomatic relations between Warsaw and Budapest.
Ties between the two countries also deteriorated sharply after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, as Hungary defended Russia against sanctions and opposed aid to Ukraine.
Hungary justified its decision by expressing concerns over the fairness of the trial in Poland, said Bartosz Lewandowski, who represented Romanowski. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski called the move an “unfriendly act,” adding that Poland would respond to granting asylum to the fugitive minister.
Poland also planned to seek help from the European Commission to bring a case against Hungary before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), Deputy Interior Minister Wiesław Szczepański declared.
