Hungarian Parliament Lifts Immunity of PM and Orbán-Era Ministers
Prosecutors can now pursue theft, mismanagement and bribery cases involving 3 lawmakers, including Magyar, after parliament suspended their immunity.
- On Monday, Hungary's Parliament voted 139-0 to lift the immunity of Prime Minister Péter Magyar and two former ministers, clearing the way for prosecutors to proceed with ongoing criminal investigations.
- Prosecutors allege former Culture Minister Balázs Hankó oversaw misuse of $53.6 million from the National Cultural Fund, while Development Minister Miklós Seszték is suspected of accepting $37.2 million in bribes tied to state contracts.
- Magyar faces investigation for alleged misdemeanor theft after he allegedly took a man's phone during a June 2024 nightclub altercation and threw it into the Danube River, with damages scarcely exceeding $300.
- Lawmakers from Fidesz and the Christian Democrats boycotted the vote, characterizing the charges against their colleagues as "political tyranny" by Magyar's government, underscoring deep partisan divisions.
- None of the officials have been indicted; immunity is designed to protect lawmakers from political persecution, and the European Parliament previously refused similar requests to suspend Magyar's immunity in September 2024.
95 Articles
95 Articles
Today, the Hungarian Parliament voted to revoke the immunity of three officials, including Prime Minister Peter Magyar.
The Hungarian Parliament voted on Monday to suspend Prime Minister Peter Magyar's immunity, as he himself requested, in order to be investigated in an open file following an accusation of theft after two years ago he would have snatched a person's cell phone with whom he filmed and dumped him in the Danube, reports ...
The Hungarian Parliament deprived Prime Minister Peter Madyar of parliamentary immunity at the request of the Public Prosecutor ' s Office, which was supported by 139 members who voted against or abstentions.
Hungarian parliament lifts immunity of PM and Orbán-era ministers
Péter Magyar, whose Tisza party swept to power in April promising to investigate alleged corruption and abuse of office during Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule, has said he wants to abolish parliamentary immunity altogether.
The National Assembly of Hungary has lifted the immunity of both Prime Minister Péter Magyar and two of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's ministers.
Magyar is said to have thrown a foreign mobile phone into the Danube in a nightclub in 2024. Two former ministers are also responsible for embezzlement and corruption.
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