Waldemar Żurek told public broadcaster TVP Info on Thursday that the request was ready but that a procedural hurdle remained: a Warsaw district court has yet to rule on an appeal against Ziobro's pre-trial detention order.
That hearing is scheduled for 8 September.
"If we had the court's decision tomorrow, we could already begin the procedures," Żurek said.
He acknowledged a legal complication – while Poland's treaty with the US permits extradition requests based on a non-final detention ruling, some American federal courts may in practice require a final decision.
Żurek said he had made the request public deliberately, to signal to the court that prosecutors were ready and waiting.
"I wanted to show the court: we have the extradition request prepared. The responsibility now rests with you," he said.
The minister also expressed concern about the length of time before the appeal would be heard, noting that the court had cited the need to review 6,000 volumes of case files.
He said he intended to seek clarification on whether the hearing could be brought forward, though he ruled out any improper pressure on the judiciary.
Separately, Żurek said he planned to hold online talks with his Hungarian counterpart and Hungary's prosecutor general, as well as coordinating with the interior minister, in an effort to challenge the international protection Ziobro received under the former Viktor Orbán government.
Ziobro faces 26 criminal charges relating to alleged misuse of the Justice Fund, including directing a criminal organisation and issuing unlawful instructions to subordinates to channel funds to ineligible recipients.
Parliament lifted his immunity in November 2025.
Ziobro announced on Sunday that he was in the United States.
He had previously been granted international protection in Hungary under Orbán's government, along with fellow PiS politician and his deputy Marcin Romanowski.
That option appears to have closed last Saturday, when Péter Magyar, who had pledged during his campaign to extradite both men if they remained on Hungarian soil, was sworn in as the country's new prime minister.
(ał)
Source: PAP