The investigative outlet Direkt36 said on Tuesday that Romanowski, who is wanted by Polish prosecutors and has been in Hungary since 2024, is renting an apartment in Budapest’s District I, a central area on the Buda side of the Hungarian capital.
Romanowski served as a deputy justice minister in Poland’s former Law and Justice (PiS) government. He faces charges in Poland over alleged irregularities in the Justice Fund, a state fund intended to help crime victims and people leaving prison.
He denies wrongdoing and says the case is politically motivated.
“It was already known that Marcin Romanowski, a Polish politician accused of corruption, had used the help of the Hungarian government to flee Polish justice. The ties turned out to be even closer,” Direkt36 wrote. “The former Polish deputy justice minister lives in the apartment of an employee of the Fidesz parliamentary group.”
According to Direkt36, the apartment belongs to Zsolt David Parkai, who works for the parliamentary group of Fidesz, the party of outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The outlet said documents it had seen showed Parkai had worked for Fidesz since September 2025.
Direkt36 journalists visited Romanowski at the apartment and published video of the encounter. They said Romanowski opened the door but closed it quickly after being asked to answer questions.
Parkai said he co-owned the apartment and had rented it to Romanowski before he began working for Fidesz. He added that Romanowski had contacted him because he knew Parkai’s company dealt with property rentals.
Documents cited by Direkt36 indicate that Romanowski has been staying at the address since December 2024.
The case has taken on added political significance after Orbán’s defeat in Hungary’s April 12 election.
Péter Magyar, the incoming Hungarian prime minister, has said several times that Hungary should not host people fleeing justice, referring to Romanowski and former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro.
Asked about Magyar’s remarks, Parkai said the rental agreement would be terminated if Romanowski’s status changed and his stay in Hungary became illegal.
Romanowski and Ziobro were both granted international protection in Hungary under Orbán’s government.
Poland’s National Public Prosecutor’s Office has brought charges against both men in connection with alleged misuse of Justice Fund money.
A Warsaw court issued a new European Arrest Warrant for Romanowski in February.
A European Arrest Warrant is a European Union legal mechanism used to detain and transfer suspects or convicted people between member states.
Prosecutors have also filed a request for a warrant against Ziobro, which remains before the court.
Polish authorities first issued a European Arrest Warrant for Romanowski in December 2024, when it emerged that Hungary had granted him asylum.
That warrant was later revoked in December 2025. Prosecutors then filed a renewed request, which the Warsaw Regional Court accepted in February.
(rt/gs)
Sources: PAP