Chief prosecutor submits 2015 report on office’s work to parliament

Budapest (MTI) – Public prosecutor Péter Polt submitted a report on his office’s work in 2015 to parliament on Thursday.

Crimes in connection with mass migration presented the greatest challenge last year, the office said in a statement.

Three new criminal acts were included in the penal code from September 15 last year: illegally crossing the sealed border, damaging the border fence and hindering the construction of the fence. A total of 908 people were registered as crossing the border illegally between September 15 and December 31 last year. In 796 cases the investigation ended in charges being filed and in 772 cases the prosecutor’s office brought the perpetrators to court in fast-tracked procedure.

The number of crimes overall dropped by 14.9 percent last year compared with 2014. A total of 377,829 crimes were reported in 2013, 329,303 in 2014 and 280,113 last year. A drop in homicide, asset crime and disorderly conduct was registered.

At the same time, there was a 136 percent increase in graft and 82 percent rise in human smuggling, the statement said.

The prosecutor’s office also focused on environmental crime. Crimes resulting in damage to the natural habitat dropped but the number of environmental crimes rose slightly.

Polt also cited intensified international cooperation, highlighting Eurojust cooperation based in The Hague which has led to a rise in the number of cases handled in Hungary. One of the most important results has been Hungary’s participation since 2015 in new investigation outfits, two of which were initiated by Hungary. Joint investigations include graft connected with the budget, child pornography, people smuggling tied to prostitution and also to illegal immigration, according to Polt’s report.

Photo: alfahir.hu

Source: MTI