BREAKING: audio recording out, corruption trial manipulated by PM Orbán’s Cabinet?
A recording by Péter Magyar, the former spouse of ex-Justice Minister Judit Varga, has surfaced, revealing that close associates of the government tampered with documents in the ongoing corruption trial involving Fidesz politicians.
Early on Tuesday, Péter Magyar shared a voice recording online, purportedly taken at his and ex-wife Judit Varga’s residence. In it, Varga alleges that someone within the prosecutor’s office tampered with the documents pertinent to the Völner-Schadl case, as reported by Telex.
Magyar disclosed evidence indicating government interference in the Völner-Schadl corruption case
As we covered previously, this case involving Pál Völner, former State Secretary of the Justice Ministry, and Gyögy Schadl, former Head of the Hungarian Chamber of Bailiffs, represents one of the most significant corruption trials implicating frontline politicians in recent years.
The accusation levied against these politicians is that Schadl regularly bribed Völner, paying him a total of at least 83 million forints (EUR 209,372.90), to wield his influence as a state secretary and deputy minister in Schadl’s favour. This influence was allegedly utilised to secure the appointment of bailiffs chosen by Schadl, in exchange for kickbacks. Charges of corruption, property crimes and money laundering have been brought against a total of 22 individuals in connection with this case.
Magyar claims that the recording he released was taken in January 2023, during a conversation wherein Varga expressed her association with a mafia-like government from which no one could escape. In the recording, lasting less than two minutes, Varga, then serving as Hungary’s Justice Minister, asserts that Chief Prosecutor Péter Polt is “not in control of the situation” regarding the corruption trial, which makes it impossible to “shield” György Schadl from prosecution.
Varga and the PM’s Office rebuke allegations
In response to Magyar’s allegations, Judit Varga took to Facebook, accusing him of blackmail and abuse. In her rebuttal, she goes into detail about how Magyar has been exploiting the recording for months to manipulate her. “Appalling,” she writes, “He has been blackmailing me with this for over a year. Péter Magyar secretly recorded his former spouse—me—in our shared home, and now exploits it to further his political agenda. Such a person deserves no trust.”
In the second part of her post, she recounts an instance of abuse within their marriage, wherein Magyar yelled at her and hurled books and his belted trousers. This, allegedly, was not an isolated occurrence in their relationship. As her then-husband continued with the abuse, Varga recounts, she kept playing a “nice melody” in her head to divert her mind from the ordeal. “I had become quite adept at this.”
As for the validity of the statement, Varga said that Magyar began threatening her when she insisted on a divorce. “This was the context for this footage… He was gearing up to blackmail me. He was provoking me by reciting gossip from the press.”
“Since he had been terrorising me for days, I told him what he wanted to hear so that I could get away as soon as possible… In a state of intimidation, people say things they do not mean,” added the former minister.
Gergely Gulyás, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, also responded to Magyar’s Facebook post, commenting,
“Much ado about nothing. The balloon popped! A domestic dispute with a wife who was intimidated has nothing to do with public life. Péter Magyar is the new Márki-Zay (former PM candidate -ed.)! The only difference is that Péter Márki-Zay did not terrorise his wife!”
On Tuesday morning, Magyar appeared before the Office of the Prosecutor General for a hearing
You can listen to the recording with English subtitles here:
Read our other reports on Péter Magyar:
New, influential Hungarian party born from the presidential clemency scandal? – HERE
End of an era? Former minister’s ex-husband turns against PM Orbán: they only want wealth – HERE
Source: Telex