The Sejm of the Republic of Poland has decided to waive parliamentary immunity and has agreed to apply detention for up to 30 days to erstwhile Minister of Justice and lawyer General, Zbigniew Ziobra. This vote was the consequence of a proposal from the Parliamentary Committee of enquiry for Pegasus, who demanded that Ziobra be punished for his persistent failure to appear at committee meetings.
The Sejm's Pegasus Investigative Committee was set up to analyse the legality, regularity and usefulness of actions undertaken utilizing Pegasus spyware by Polish peculiar services and law enforcement authorities in 2015-2023. In the course of her work, there were accusations of illegal surveillance of opposition politicians, journalists and social activists. Zbigniew Ziobro, serving as Minister of Justice and lawyer General from 2015 to 1923, was called upon to appear before the committee as a witness. However, despite repeated calls, he did not appear at any of the meetings, which prompted the committee to take legal action to force his presence.
The first call for Zbigniew Ziobry was sent by the committee in July 2024. The erstwhile minister justified his absence with a medical certificate, pointing to serious wellness problems. In response, the committee asked the lawyer General to appoint an expert doctor to verify the merits of these claims. The expert felt that Ziobro was capable of participating in the hearings, resulting in repeated calls.
Nevertheless, Ziobro inactive did not appear at committee meetings, which was considered to be deliberately avoiding testifying. The committee so requested the territory Court of Warsaw to impose fines on him and to detain and force him to bring the witness to the hearing. 31 January 2025, on the day of the next committee meeting, Ziobro was detained by police after the interview was concluded at the Republic tv headquarters. However, the committee's gathering ended before his arrival, resulting in another deficiency of hearing. In view of this situation, the committee of enquiry decided to send to the Sejm a motion to waive the parliamentary immunity of Ziobra and to let him to be temporarily arrested for up to 30 days.
On Thursday afternoon, the Sejm voted on the enquiry committee's proposal. The results were as follows:
239 Members voted to waive immunity and to let detention.
There were 194 Members against it.
No 1 abstained.
- Request:
- 154 Members of the civilian Coalition (KO)
- 31 PSL-TD Members
- 30 Polish 2050-TD Members
- 19 Left Members
- 4 Members Total
- 1 Non-attached Member
- Against the proposal:
- 178 Members of Law and Justice (PiS)
- 13 Confederate Members
- 3 Members of the Free Republicans
This decision means that Zbigniew Ziobro may be temporarily arrested for up to 30 days. However, the final decision will be taken by the court.
The decision of the Sejm sparked stormy reactions in Polish politics.
PiS president, Jarosław Kaczyński, described the vote as “the highest of lying” and “another show of insolence” of Donald Tusk's government. He claimed that Ziobro appeared at the committee's call, but was deliberately prevented from entering the sitting room.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in turn, stated that “the honest have nothing to fear” and stressed that the law applies to all citizens, regardless of their function.
Polish leader 2050, Szymon Hołownia, said that "Ziobro broke the law for years, now bears consequences".
The Confederate spokesman, Krzysztof Bosak, considered the decision to be “political revenge” and warned that “the power of present may erstwhile be in a akin situation”.
