The Hungarian parliament today voted to lift the immunity of three officials, including Prime Minister Peter Magyar.
The prosecution is conducting an investigation against Magyar on suspicion of theft, as he allegedly took a man’s mobile phone during a nightclub altercation in June 2024 and threw it into the Danube.
Magyar has denied that his behavior constitutes theft and has assessed that the case, in which the damage is estimated at just over $300, is politically motivated.
He also criticized prosecutors for requesting the lifting of his immunity simultaneously with that of two former ministers from Viktor Orban’s administration, whose alleged crimes included the misuse of tens of millions of dollars in public funds and the receipt of millions of dollars in bribes.
Before the vote, Magyar told lawmakers that he “did not commit a criminal offense” and that he “takes responsibility for all his actions.”
“Anyone who has nothing to hide comes forward openly,” he said, referring to his earlier request that his party vote to lift his immunity.
The immunity of MPs and other officials, a common practice in European democracies, is designed to protect lawmakers from political persecution, allowing them to perform their duties and freely express opinions without fear of arrest or lawsuits by the authorities.
The former Hungarian government, led by right-winger Orban, attempted to lift Magyar’s immunity while he was a member of the European Parliament, but that body repeatedly rejected the request.
Lawmakers today also voted to lift the immunity of two former ministers in Orban’s government who are suspected, in separate cases, of the criminal offense of negligent management of 17.3 billion forints ($53.6 million) in public funds, as well as receiving more than 12 billion forints ($37.2 million) in bribes and illegal commissions.
These cases involve some of the highest officials of Orban’s government implicated in crimes now being investigated under the new administration, as part of comprehensive efforts to uncover what the government describes as years-long massive fraud and theft of public funds during Orban’s rule.
Parliament today lifted the immunity of Balazs Hankó, former Minister of Culture in Orban’s government, who allegedly oversaw the misuse of about $53.6 million from the Hungarian National Cultural Fund.
Prosecutors claim that Hankó personally intervened to allocate money from the fund, intended to support cultural projects, based on political criteria, as well as to cover campaign expenses for Orban’s Fidesz party ahead of the elections held in April.
Prosecutors also suspect former Orban Minister for Development Miklós Seszták, whose immunity was also lifted, of receiving more than $37.2 million in bribes and commissions related to the procurement of vehicles for the Hungarian state bus company, as well as for state construction projects.
Fidesz MPs and those of the coalition partner, the Christian Democrats, did not participate in today’s vote, describing the charges against their MPs as political tyranny by Magyar’s government.
None of the officials whose immunity was lifted has been charged.
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