Hungary lifts prime minister’s immunity in phone-theft investigation

Hungary’s parliament voted Monday to suspend the parliamentary immunity of Prime Minister Péter Magyar, opening the way for prosecutors to investigate an incident at a Budapest nightclub in June 2024. The allegation concerns a phone that Magyar took from another person and threw into the Danube. Magyar denies that his conduct amounted to theft and says the case is politically motivated. He asked lawmakers from his party to support lifting his immunity.

The vote also covered Balázs Hankó and Miklós Seszták, former ministers under Viktor Orbán, in separate inquiries into alleged misuse of public funds and bribery. Prosecutors’ allegations against them have not been tested in court. AP reported that opposition lawmakers from Orbán’s party did not participate in the vote and denounced the cases against the former ministers as political persecution.

Magyar’s party defeated Orbán in April, and his new government has pursued investigations into possible wrongdoing during the previous administration. Parliament’s decision lets investigations proceed; it is not a finding of guilt. None of the three lawmakers had been indicted in the reporting available when Worldbrief published this article. The parallel votes put the current prime minister and former ministers under legal scrutiny, although the alleged conduct and possible consequences differ considerably.