Hungary lifts PM's immunity as ex-Orban ministers face probes

Hungary's parliament on Monday lifted Prime Minister Peter Magyar's immunity from prosecution, along with that of two former ministers from Viktor Orban's government.

The votes clear the way for investigations involving Magyar and the two opposition lawmakers, who all face separate allegations.

What did the Hungarian lawmakers decide?

Parliament voted 139-0 to lift the immunity of Magyar, former Culture and Innovation Minister Balazs Hanko and former National Development Minister Miklos Sesztak. Lawmakers from Orban's right-wing populist Fidesz party and its conservative Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP) ally did not take part in the vote.

Magyar, whose center-right Tisza party came to power in April, had himself called on lawmakers to lift his immunity.

Prosecutors are investigating an incident in 2024 in which Magyar allegedly took a mobile phone from a man who was filming him at a Budapest nightclub and threw it into the Danube.

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Magyar has described the case as a "farce" and accused prosecutors of trying to associate his case with corruption allegations against former members of Orban's government.

What are the former Orban ministers accused of?

Hanko, now a Fidesz lawmaker, is being investigated over the alleged misuse of public money from Hungary's National Cultural Fund.

Prosecutors allege that public funds were improperly used in more than 1,000 cases, causing losses of 17.3 billion forints (€44.5 million/$52.3 million). Hanko has rejected the allegations.

Sesztak, a KDNP lawmaker who served as national development minister from 2014 to 2018, faces a separate investigation concerning alleged bribes linked to contracts involving the state-owned bus company Volanbusz.

Magyar defeated Orban in April after campaigning on a pledge to investigate alleged corruption and abuses of power during Orban's 16 years in office.

Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher

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