Police detain Polish ex-justice minister

Police have detained Zbigniew Ziobro, Poland's former justice minister, in order to bring him before a parliamentary investigative commission following a court order.

Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz
Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz

The police, which earlier on Friday visited Ziobro' two homes but had not found him there, came to the right-wing TV Republika broadcaster as Ziobro was giving a live interview there.

He was detained as he was leaving the TV studio.

Ziobro has repeatedly refused to stand before a parliamentary commission set up to investigate the former government's use of the highly-invasive spying system Pegasus against the then opposition and government critics. Pegasus was bought by the then Ministry of Justice and paid for with money earmarked for helping victims of crimes.

After Ziobro's repeated failures to appear before the commission, the investigative panel asked a court to issue an order for him to testify.

Ziobro also ignored the latest hearing, which was scheduled for 10:30am on Friday and instead went to TV Republika, a broadcaster that openly supports the former government.

Ziobro said during the television broadcast that he would never appear before the commission, claiming that the body was illegal under a Constitutional Tribunal ruling. The Tribunal's verdicts have been ignored by the current government due to concerns that it has been politicised by the previous government, with ex-ruling party politicians on its bench.

"I'm not hiding anywhere, I'm at the TV Republika studio right now," Ziobro wrote on Twitter during his live interview. 

When Ziobro ignored the commission's hearing again on Friday, the body decided in a vote to request a 30-day detention of the defiant ex-minister. The commission's motion is addressed to the prosecutor-general who will ask the lower house parliament to agree to the measure. (PAP)

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