Marcin Romanowski

Contents

Marcin Romanowski (born 20 January 1976) is a Polish politician. He was a deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Poland in the Second and Third Cabinet of Mateusz Morawiecki.[1] He was elected as a member of the Sejm on 15 October 2023 from the Law and Justice list.[2] From January 2024, he was deputy representative of the Sejm in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.[3]

Life

Romanowski graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration of Nicolaus Copernicus University in 2000, later studying at the University of Regensburg[1]

Romanowski serves as a numerary of the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei.[4]

Following a change of the Polish government in the 2023 Polish parliamentary election, 11 corruption charges were levelled against Romanowski, including defrauding, or attempting to defraud, $40m from a justice fund meant to help crime victims. After he continued to evade being detained by the authorities for a week, a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) was issued by the Polish judiciary on 19 December 2024. Opus Dei denied having him hidden on their properties.[4] The Dominican monastery in Lublin was searched by the police, but it did not result in his capture. A wish to obtain a detailed explanation regarding its disturbance was later published by the order.[5]

On the next day it was announced by the Hungarian government of Viktor Orbán that, in spite of the EAW, Romanowski had received asylum in his country. Polish-Hungarian relations noticeably worsened further, following the change of the ruling party in Warsaw. As a result, the Polish Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassador to Hungary for consultations. On the same day, the Hungarian ambassador to Warsaw was summoned to present him with a protest note.[6]

Following the end of Orbán's premiership in the 2026 election, Romanowski fled Hungary. In August of that year he was reported to be residing in Transnistria, and was publicly put under suspicion of being an MGB, GRU, and FSB asset by the Ministry of National Defence and the Central Anticorruption Bureau.[7]

References

  1. 1.[1.2]"Marcin Romanowski wiceministrem sprawiedliwości - Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości - Portal Gov.pl". Ministry of Justice (Poland). Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  2. 2."Marcin Romanowski - Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej". Sejm. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  3. 3."Mr Marcin ROMANOWSKI (Poland, EC/DA)". pace.coe.int. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  4. 4.[4.2]"Marcin Romanowski - poszukiwany listem gończym (sprawa Funduszu Sprawiedliwości). Opus Dei: Nie ukrywamy Romanowskiego | TVP INFO". TVP Info. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  5. 5."Lublin. Policja weszła do klasztoru. Szukała Marcina Romanowskiego. Zakon oczekuje wyjaśnień - TVN24". TVN24. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  6. 6.Gera, Vanessa (20 December 2024). "Diplomatic spat erupts after Hungary gives asylum to Polish politician suspected of corruption". AP News. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  7. 7.Tilles, Daniel (13 August 2026). "Fugitive Polish opposition politician reportedly in pro-Russian Moldovan breakaway region". Notes from Poland.