Hungary finally complies with OLAF

An investigation follows all judicial recommendations made by the European Union’s anti-corruption body OLAF to Hungary, the public prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday, after OLAF published its 2022 report.

Hungarian authorities brought charges in 75 percent of the cases initiated by OLAF between 2018 and 2022, more than twice the EU average of 34 percent, the office said in a statement, making reference to OLAF’s report published on Tuesday.

Although it has no legal obligation to do so, the Hungarian public prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation on each judicial recommendation, the office said. Several of the recommended cases were already being investigated at the time of the recommendation, it said.

OLAF last year published 8 judicial recommendations on Hungary in three out of which an investigation was ordered by the prosecutor. In the other five cases, the recommendation and the final report containing findings were evaluated over the course of the ongoing investigation.

The Hungarian public prosecutor’s office and OLAF signed a cooperation agreement in February 2022, cementing “an already excellent working relationship”, the statement said. The prosecutor’s office works in close cooperation with regular meetings held on the level of leaders and experts as well, the statement said.

OLAF publishes judicial, disciplinary and financial recommendations as part of its role to review administrative irregularities in member states’ handling of EU monies.

OLAF does not define criminal activity and does not collect evidence, the office said.

Source: MTI