Hungary prosecutors seek to lift PM Magyar's immunity over 2024 phone theft

September 23, 2026 at 03:40 AM2 min

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Hungary's top prosecutor on Tuesday requested parliament suspend the immunity of Prime Minister Péter Magyar over a 2024 phone theft allegation. Prosecutors also sought to lift immunity for two former Orbán-era ministers in separate graft cases. The moves mark the first criminal proceedings against senior figures from Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule.

Key Facts

Acting chief prosecutor Istvan Lajtar requested the suspension of PM Péter Magyar's immunity over a 2024 nightclub phone theft.
Prosecutors allege former culture minister Balazs Hanko embezzled 47 million euros ($54 million) in public funds to finance the 2026 election campaign.
Former development minister Miklos Sesztak faces bribery allegations over inflated-price bus purchases between 2014 and 2018.
Magyar's Tisza party holds a two-thirds parliamentary majority and swept to power in April on anti-corruption promises.

Immunity Requests

Acting chief prosecutor Istvan Lajtar made back-to-back announcements on Tuesday requesting the suspension of parliamentary immunity for Prime Minister Péter Magyar and two former Orbán-era ministers. Magyar is under investigation for theft over a 2024 incident in which he allegedly snatched a phone from a man filming him in a nightclub and threw it into the Danube. In a Facebook video, Magyar said he wanted parliament to lift his immunity, accusing prosecutors of trying to conflate the ex-ministers' cases with a failed political character assassination attempt from 2024. The European Parliament rebuffed a request to lift Magyar's immunity last year when he was an MEP.

Former Ministers' Cases

Prosecutors asked parliament to lift the immunity of Balazs Hanko, a Fidesz lawmaker and former culture and innovation minister, for allegedly embezzling 47 million euros ($54 million) in public funds. The money was allegedly used to help finance the 2026 parliamentary election campaign and for the personal benefit of others. In July, prosecutors seized Fidesz servers in relation to the case, prompting Orbán to accuse authorities of conducting a sham investigation to render the party legally unviable. Prosecutors also want immunity lifted for Miklos Sesztak, a lawmaker from Fidesz-ally KDNP, over alleged bribery worth millions of euros during his tenure as national development minister from 2014 to 2018.

Prosecutor Appointment Dispute

Tuesday's developments came amid a dispute between President Andras Baka and Prime Minister Magyar over the appointment of the next chief prosecutor. Baka proposed cybercrime prosecutor Zoltan Szathmary for the post on Monday, but Magyar said his party's lawmakers unanimously decided to oppose the nominee, questioning his ability to restore public confidence in the prosecution service. Baka has indicated he would not withdraw his nominee, while Magyar's Tisza party holds a two-thirds majority in parliament. Hungary's previous top prosecutor resigned in July after facing pressure from Magyar, who pushed to remove top officials appointed under Orbán.