Hungary lifts immunity of prime minister and two former ministers
The parliamentary vote clears the way for separate criminal investigations. The allegations against all three remain unproven.
Hungary’s Parliament has lifted the immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar and former ministers Balazs Hanko and Miklos Sesztak, allowing prosecutors to pursue separate criminal investigations. The vote took place on Monday, 28 September.
Magyar requested the removal of his immunity. Prosecutors are investigating an alleged theft linked to a Budapest nightclub incident in June 2024, in which they allege he took a mobile phone and threw it into the Danube. Magyar has called the case a “sham”.
Hanko, a legislator from Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party, is suspected of embezzling more than €40 million in public funds. Sesztak, a lawmaker from KDNP, is under investigation over alleged bribes and kickbacks linked to vehicle procurement and state construction projects. Neither case has been established in court.
Fidesz and its ally KDNP boycotted the session. The vote follows Magyar’s Tisza party ending Orban’s 16 years in power less than six months ago.
Magyar campaigned on tackling corruption and restoring rule-of-law safeguards. His government has made action against alleged corruption and overpriced public procurement a central part of its programme, including plans for an asset-recovery office focused on alleged wrongdoing during the Orban era.
