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Hungary’s Parliament suspends immunity for Prime Minister Magyar and two Orbán-era ministers
Prosecutors can now pursue theft and corruption probes after lawmakers voted 139-0 to remove protections from the three politicians.
On Monday, Hungary's parliament voted 139-0 to lift the immunity of Prime Minister Péter Magyar and two former ministers, Balázs Hankó and Miklós Seszták, allowing prosecutors to proceed with pending criminal investigations.
Prosecutors are investigating Magyar for misdemeanor theft after he allegedly snatched a man's phone during a June 2024 nightclub incident and threw it into the Danube River, with divers later recovering the device.
Separate investigations target Hankó for alleged misuse of 17.3 billion forints from the National Cultural Fund, while Seszták allegedly accepted over 12 billion forints in bribes tied to state construction and vehicle procurements.
Fidesz and Christian Democratic People's Party lawmakers boycotted the session, calling the charges "political tyranny," while Magyar denied wrongdoing and described the theft case as a "sham" intended for "character assassination."
These proceedings represent the first graft investigations into top officials from the former Orbán administration, marking a significant step in Magyar's administration's effort to uncover alleged massive fraud and public fund theft.
The Hungarian parliament has voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of three MPs, including Prime Minister Péter Magyar, while the prosecution continues criminal investigations against them.
The Hungarian parliament voted to lift the immunity of Prime Minister Péter Magyar. Magyar himself called for it, explaining that he would be able to defend himself against an attempt at political discredit. The MPs also lifted the immunity of two former ministers in Viktor Orbán's government.