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Fugitive Polish minister flew to US from Italy, prosecutors say

By Reuters Reuters
Member of the Law and Justice (PiS) party and former Poland's Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro reacts after he was detained by police at the polish TV Republika station's headquarters to be brought to testify before the Pegasus Investigation Committee, in Warsaw, Poland January 31, 2025. Agencja Wyborcza.pl/Robert Kowalewski/via REUTERS
Member of the Law and Justice (PiS) party and former Poland's Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro reacts after he was detained by police at the polish TV Republika station's headquarters to be brought to testify before the Pegasus Investigation Committee, in Warsaw, Poland January 31, 2025. Agencja Wyborcza.pl/Robert Kowalewski/via REUTERS Robert Kowalewski / Agencja Wybo Reuters

WARSAW - Fugitive former Polish justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who faces charges stemming mainly from his alleged misuse of money for political gain, flew to the United States from Milan airport on May 9, a spokesperson for Polish prosecutors said.

Reuters reported this week, quoting three people familiar with the matter, that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau instructed senior State Department officials to facilitate and approve a visa for Ziobro, allowing him to flee to the United States from Hungary.

(Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 4:35 AM.

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