Former Budapest deputy mayor flees to Israel to avoid prison sentence

One of the most well-known figures in Budapest’s parking scandal, former Socialist politician György Fürst, did not report to prison, although he was sentenced in May to six years and six months of imprisonment. The police have already issued a warrant for his arrest, and according to press reports, he may have fled to Israel.

Six years in prison and millions in fines

On May 29, 2025, the Budapest Court of Appeal handed down its final ruling in the so-called “parking mafia” case. According to the indictment, Centrum Parking Ltd. and several related companies caused significant financial losses to several districts of Budapest through inflated contracts, fictitious invoices and tax evasion.

Fürst, who had served as deputy mayor of the 6th district (Terézváros), was sentenced to six years and six months in prison and fined HUF 25 million.

The court established that the total damage caused, including the unpaid taxes, exceeded HUF 10 billion.

The police confirmed that an arrest warrant had been issued after Fürst failed to appear at the designated correctional facility. According to the Hungarian Prison Service, “the individual did not voluntarily begin serving his prison sentence, therefore the authorities acted in accordance with the law.”

Earlier controversies with parking

While Fürst’s name is now linked to the large-scale parking corruption case, this is not the first time he has been in the news for parking-related issues. In 2004, as deputy mayor of Terézváros, he was one of the strongest advocates of introducing wheel-clamping, saying it was the best way to bring order to illegal parking.

Ironically, a few years later, his own car – a black Rolls-Royce – was clamped several times for illegal parking. The stories made headlines, and Fürst’s name became associated with Budapest’s parking controversies long before the current corruption case.

Escape to Israel

According to the 444.hu, Fürst is believed to be hiding in Israel. The site reported that a few days before the final verdict, he obtained an Israeli residence permit under the aliyah law. To issue the permit, Israel’s Ministry of Interior contacted a Hungarian rabbi to confirm Fürst’s Jewish heritage. The document was reportedly issued on June 21, eight days before the verdict.

To complete the application, Fürst needed a valid passport and a clean criminal record, which raises questions about how such a document could have been issued despite his previous suspended sentence.

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A long-running corruption case

The “parking mafia” case dates back to 2016 and took almost nine years to reach a final verdict. The trial revealed a web of municipal and private companies that used questionable contracts to channel public money away from city budgets.

Fürst’s disappearance now raises further questions about the enforcement of final court decisions and the challenges of extradition when a convicted person flees abroad.

Featured image: Screenshot – ATV YouTube