Opposition Fidesz is turning to the Constitutional Court in four cases, lawmaker and former Justice Minister Bence Tuzson said on Friday.
Tuzson said on Facebook that they were challenging a law “which sacrifices Hungary’s sovereignty, cynically using ‘EU funds’ as an excuse”, the sixteenth amendment to the Fundamental Law, the law restructuring the operations and coercive powers of investigative committees, the law on the restructuring of public media, and the law concerning political advertisements and announcements.
He said that the over hundred-page-long submission detailed why the provisions in question — and, in some cases, the manner in which the legislation was adopted — violated the Fundamental Law and how they threatened the rights and interests of the Hungarian people.
Tuzson added that they were confident the Constitutional Court would fulfil its constitutional role, and “will not yield to [Prime Minister] Péter Magyar’s political pressure”.
He accused Magyar of working to “establish his own autocratic rule”, taking “coercive measures that seriously violate the principles of the rule of law”, and attempting to “destroy” Hungary’s constitutional order.
Fidesz group: Era of ‘politically motivated show trials’ returning
The era of “politically motivated show trials has returned to Hungary”, the opposition Fidesz parliamentary group said on Friday. The parliamentary group said in a statement that it was “clearly revealed on Friday that six government officials had been detained on political orders and held in prison for nearly a month”.
“Zoltán Tarr, minister of social relations and culture, announced that an investigation into the use of subsidies would be launched. On what grounds, then, have these people been held in prison for nearly a month if the investigation into cultural schemes is only taking place now?” the statement said.
“What is this if not a politically motivated prosecution? The six former government officials must be released immediately!” it added.
“Today in Hungary, police are knocking on doors at dawn because of a social media video, and public officials can be held in prison for a month without any basis simply for supporting cultural programmes,” it said. The Fidesz group called on Péter Magyar and his government to “stop exerting political pressure on the police, investigative authorities and the courts.”
If you missed it: European Commission praises Hungary’s sweeping rule of law reforms but issues warning as well
Tarr announced on Facebook on Friday that as part of an audit concerning the National Cultural Fund NKA, the leadership and staff of the national cultural grant management agency NKTK is working to review grants previously allocated from the ministerial budget. According to the minister’s statement, 806 applicants were sent a notice requesting that they submit a detailed report on the use of the grants within 15 days.
