Hungary’s Parliament voted to lift immunity for Prime Minister Péter Magyar and former ministers Balázs Hankó and Miklós Seszták; none has been indicted. Magyar is suspected of misdemeanor theft after allegedly taking a man’s phone and throwing it into the Danube.
The case stems from a June 2024 nightclub altercation; it alleges damages scarcely exceeding $300. Magyar denies that his conduct amounted to theft and has called the case politically motivated.
Hankó is alleged to have overseen misuse of 17.3 billion forints ($53.6 million) from Hungary’s National Cultural Fund. Prosecutors allege he personally intervened in awards from the fund, intended to support cultural projects, on political grounds and to cover Fidesz campaign costs ahead of April’s election. Seszták is suspected of accepting more than 12 billion forints ($37.2 million) in bribes and kickbacks linked to vehicle procurements involving Hungary’s state bus company and state construction projects. Fidesz and Christian Democrat lawmakers did not take part in the vote, calling the charges against their lawmakers “political tyranny” by Magyar’s government.
