Hungary`s parliament has revoked the legal immunity of incumbent Prime Minister Peter Magyar alongside two former ministers from Viktor Orban`s preceding administration, official proceedings confirmed on Monday. The resolution permits state prosecutors to open formal criminal inquiries into all three political figures across separate jurisdictions. The action marks the first instance in contemporary Hungarian governance where a sitting head of government has seen their parliamentary protections suspended.
Lawmakers passed the measure during an extraordinary legislative sitting.
Magyar faces judicial scrutiny surrounding a June 2024 altercation at a Budapest entertainment venue, where prosecutors allege he took a recording device from an individual and discarded it into the Danube River. The prime minister had explicitly requested that parliament strip his protections, contending that legal proceedings would dismantle character assassination attempts coordinated by political rivals. Following the ballot, Magyar reiterated on digital platforms that equality before the judiciary applies universally to laborers, parliamentarians, and cabinet leaders alike.
The legislative action also advances major corruption inquiries targeting high-ranking members of Orban`s historical administration.
Parliament separately authorized criminal proceedings against former Culture Minister Balazs Hanko and former National Development Minister Miklos Sesztak over widespread embezzlement allegations. State investigators claim public funds designated for cultural preservation were diverted into partisan electoral operations, while separate infrastructure procurements involved illicit financial kickbacks. Both former cabinet officials have denied criminal culpability during preliminary inquiries.
Members of the opposition Fidesz faction and the Christian Democratic People`s Party staged an institutional walkout, describing the prosecutions as partisan score-settling. Independent observers noted that the votes reflect campaign commitments by the incumbent coalition to review administrative spending during Orban`s sixteen-year governance. The legislative declarations will take formal legal effect upon being ratified by the speaker of parliament and the head of state.
