Hungary prosecutors raid Fidesz data servers amid anti-corruption push
Fidesz alleges investigators seized entire databases without notice, while the new administration awaits official justification from the prosecutor’s office.
Hungary’s former ruling Fidesz party reported that prosecutors conducted an unannounced raid on its data servers on Tuesday, marking a significant escalation in the legal and political tensions following the country’s recent election. The incident occurs as Prime Minister Peter Magyar advances a suite of anti-corruption reforms designed to dismantle the institutional legacy of his predecessor, Viktor Orban.
Fidesz, the nationalist party led by Orban, stated on Facebook that investigators arrived at the data centre hosting their servers with the intention of seizing the party’s entire communications system and databases. In a statement, the party described the action as having no precedent in Hungary since 1990, the year communism ended in the country.
The raid takes place against the backdrop of a decisive political shift. Magyar’s Tisza party won a two-thirds majority in parliament in April, ending Orban’s 16-year tenure. The new pro-European conservative government has moved quickly to loosen Orban’s grip on state institutions, passing constitutional changes that effectively bar the former leader from running for office again.
Magyar confirmed he learned of the alleged raid from Fidesz and stated that his government was awaiting an official statement from the prosecutor’s office. He did not provide immediate comment on the legal basis for the seizure, noting only that the administration was monitoring the situation as official details emerged.
Watchdogs have identified endemic corruption during Orban’s premiership, a central theme of Magyar’s election campaign. The new government has vowed to pursue figures who enabled corruption and to recover public assets from those who illegally acquired them. Fidesz has characterised Magyar’s reforms as autocratic, a charge frequently levelled against Orban during his time in power.
The legal justification for the raid remains unverified pending official clarification. It is currently unclear whether the action is part of a broader investigation into corruption or specifically targeted political communications, with the prosecutor’s office yet to release a formal explanation.
