Get you up to speed: Hungary lifts immunity of Prime Minister Magyar, two Orban-era ministers
Hungary’s Parliament has lifted the immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar and two former ministers, Balazs Hanko and Miklos Sesztak, enabling prosecutors to pursue criminal investigations against them. The investigations relate to allegations of theft, embezzlement, and bribery stemming from incidents that occurred while in office.
Prosecutors requested the immunity lift in order to proceed with investigations into Prime Minister Peter Magyar for theft and former ministers Balazs Hanko and Miklos Sesztak for embezzlement and bribery, respectively. The investigations mark the first significant corruption probes of high-ranking officials from Viktor Orban’s administration since Magyar’s Tisza party took power following the recent election in March 2026.
Hungary’s Parliament has lifted the immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar and two former Orban-era ministers, facilitating criminal investigations into allegations of theft, embezzlement, and bribery. Magyar’s government, which has committed to addressing corruption and enhancing the judicial system, plans to establish a new asset-recovery office to address wrongdoing from the previous administration.
What remains unclear — The specific details surrounding the allegations against Peter Magyar, Balazs Hanko, and Miklos Sesztak, including the timeline and full scope of their alleged misconduct, have not been fully disclosed.
Hungary’s Parliament removes immunity from Prime Minister Magyar and two former ministers
News|CorruptionHungary lifts immunity of Prime Minister Magyar, two Orban-era ministers
Hungary’s Parliament lifts immunity of incumbent leader and two ex-Orban ministers, clearing the way for criminal probes.
Published On 29 Sep 202629 Sep 2026
Hungary’s Parliament has stripped Prime Minister Peter Magyar and two ministers in former leader Viktor Orban’s nationalist government of their immunity, clearing the way for prosecutors to pursue separate criminal investigations into each of them.
The vote on Monday came after Magyar, who is being investigated for theft, specifically asked for his immunity to be lifted so he could clear himself of “character assassination”. The probes against the Orban-era ministers – who are suspected of embezzlement and bribery – are the first corruption investigations against top government figures from Orban’s 16 years in power.
Legislators voted overwhelmingly in favour of lifting their immunity.
Orban’s Fidesz party and its ally KDNP boycotted the session.
The vote was in response to a request last week from prosecutors seeking to investigate Magyar, as well as former Minister of Culture Balazs Hanko and former Minister of National Development Miklos Sesztak.
Magyar is being investigated over an incident at a Budapest nightclub in June 2024, when prosecutors allege he took a mobile phone from a man filming him and threw it into the Danube River.
Magyar has called the case a “sham” and last week accused prosecutors of trying “to conflate” the ex-ministers’ cases “with the attempt at political character assassination… which has already failed several times”.
Corruption cases
Hanko, a legislator from Orban’s Fidesz party, is accused of embezzling more than 40 million euros ($46m) in public funds. Prosecutors allege the money was used to help finance the 2026 parliamentary election campaign and for the personal benefit of others.
Sesztak, a lawmaker from KDNP, is under investigation over allegedly accepting more than $37.2m in bribes and kickbacks connected to vehicle procurements under Hungary’s state bus company, as well as to state construction projects.
Both ministers deny any wrongdoing.
The cases come less than six months after Magyar’s Tisza party ended Orban’s 16 years in power with a landslide election victory. Magyar campaigned on pledges to tackle corruption, restore rule-of-law safeguards, and rebuild Hungary’s strained relationship with the European Union.
His government has since made fighting alleged corruption and overpriced public procurement a central part of its programme, including plans for a new asset-recovery office focused on wrongdoing linked to the Orban era.
Great article! This really puts things into perspective. I appreciate the thorough research and balanced viewpoint.
Interesting read, though I think there are some points that could have been explored further. Would love to see a follow-up on this topic.
Thanks for sharing this! I had no idea about some of these details. Definitely bookmarking this for future reference.
Well written and informative. The examples provided really help illustrate the main points effectively.
This is exactly what I was looking for! Clear, concise, and very helpful. Keep up the excellent work!