Democracy Digest: Is Former Polish Justice Minister Headed Into Budapest Exile?

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues tightening his control over the media after the country’s largest tabloid, Blikk, was taken over by a pro-government publisher. In neighboring states, a far-right leader was elected as the speaker of the Czech lower house, while Slovakia has reported an increase in petty theft following changes to its criminal code.

Legal Pressure on PiS Figures

The political and legal net continues to close around members of Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS) party accused of abusing power during their 2015–2023 tenure. On Thursday, Poland’s parliamentary affairs committee began reviewing whether to lift the parliamentary immunity of former justice minister and PiS MP Zbigniew Ziobro.

Authorities allege Ziobro misused his position by diverting millions of euros from a fund meant for crime prevention and victim support to the Central Anticorruption Bureau (CBA) for the purchase of Pegasus surveillance software. Ziobro has largely admitted to some of these actions.

“The National Prosecutor’s Office wants to bring 26 charges against Ziobro, the most serious alleging he headed a criminal group operating within his ministry that favored entities connected to him,” Euronews reported.

In late September, Polish police removed Ziobro from a plane and escorted him to testify before a parliamentary commission investigating the prior PiS administration’s use of Pegasus spyware. In October, an indictment was filed against his deputy justice minister, Michal Wos, over related issues.

Regional Developments

Hungary: Pro-government takeover of major tabloid Blikk.
Czech Republic: Far-right leader elected as lower house speaker.
Slovakia: Rise in petty theft amid criminal code reforms.

Author’s Summary: Across Central Europe, political shifts deepen as Hungary tightens media control and Poland moves to prosecute former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro in an expanding corruption probe.

Balkan Insight — 2025-11-07