A court in Kecskemét has ordered the detention of former Culture and Innovation Minister Balázs Hankó, who is being investigated over alleged misuse of state cultural funds.
Hankó brought to court in handcuffs
Balázs Hankó, a Fidesz MP and former Culture and Innovation Minister, was brought to the Kecskemét District Court in handcuffs on Thursday morning, accompanied by officers of Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV).
Hankó was transported from a detention facility in Cegléd to the court, where a judge was due to decide whether he should be placed in pre-trial detention.
The court ultimately ordered Hankó’s detention for one month, Marianna Bodó, spokesperson for the Bács-Kiskun County Chief Prosecutor’s Office, told Telex.
Before entering the courtroom, Hankó told reporters: “I have made a statement about everything.”
After leaving the hearing, he shouted that the prosecution had prevented him from making a statement, adding: “So much for freedom of speech.” The hearing was held behind closed doors. Hankó and his defence lawyer reportedly left and returned to the courtroom several times to review case documents before the decision was issued.
Prosecutors cite flight and interference risks
The Bács-Kiskun County Chief Prosecutor’s Office had requested Hankó’s detention on the grounds that the suspected offence carries a potentially lengthy prison sentence and that his extensive network of contacts creates a risk of flight or hiding.
Prosecutors also said there was a risk that he could unlawfully influence the proceedings, referring to what they described as an organised and hierarchical offence allegedly carried out over an extended period.
The prosecution said the aims of the detention – including ensuring the suspect’s presence and preventing interference with evidence – could not be achieved through less restrictive measures. The court’s decision on detention does not determine Hankó’s criminal responsibility. The investigation remains ongoing.
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Another former minister detained in separate case
Hankó is the second former government minister to be placed in detention this week. Former National Development Minister Miklós Seszták, a KDNP MP, was ordered into detention for 30 days on Wednesday in a separate investigation concerning alleged bribery connected to contracts involving Volánbusz. His detention decision was appealed.
Hankó’s detention is linked to the separate NKA investigation, in which several other suspects have previously been detained. The investigation into the alleged misuse of cultural funding is continuing.
So, the guy, A FOREIGNER!, who almost killed an innocent human being, a total stranger, for no reason whatever, on St. Istvan korut is granted bail. This guy, whose alleged crimes are purely administrative, gets to wait for for his trial in the slammer.
Make it make sense.
It is not “administrative”….he is a thief, a big thief (allegedly)!
And unlike the FOREIGNER, he has the money and connections to flee.
Distraction and obfuscation tactics will not help to conceal the truth about the previous government’s moral depravity. No matter how many side issues you try to stir up, the truth will come to light. That is precisely why Orbán’s fear of losing power was so intense in the final days before the election. All major dictators—as well as would-be and petty dictators—suffer from such nightmares.
In recent weeks, authorities have arrested two of Orbán’s former ministers and members of his Fidesz party (after parliament stripped them of their parliamentary immunity), as well as several businesspeople close to the former prime minister. The former head of the central bank and Minister of Economy György Matolcsy, whom Orbán called his right-hand man, was questioned in connection with a case of abuse of office; while his son became a subject of a separate investigation into corruption at the central bank.
“Corruption scandals and various cases have reached a critical mass, so an investigation into Orbán’s personal responsibility has become inevitable,” said Eurasia Group analyst Orsolya Ráczová, adding that Prime Minister Péter Magyar “will not stop”.
The Financial Times writes Orbán is now suspected of personally ordering the seizure of the vehicle in order to exploit the situation for his own benefit. “This is the first case that could lead to formal charges being filed against Orban, as the investigation is already nearing completion, while other corruption cases involving him are at a much less advanced stage,” — said attorney Lorant Horvath, who represents the Ukrainians’ interests.
He also represents former prosecutor Pál Fürcht, who was assigned in March to lead the case against them. Furcht stated on Monday that Orbán “personally ordered the security services to detain the Ukrainian couriers carrying cash.” According to him, when he reported this to his superiors in the spring, he was reprimanded, and later an internal investigation was launched against him.
The former prosecutor’s statements are corroborated by a June report from the prosecutor’s office, which the FT reviewed. It quotes the head of the counterterrorism unit (TEK) János Hajdu as saying:
Everyone knew that the arrests were made based on a decision by a person who should not have been involved in this case.
The report states that this person was Orban. Hajdu now faces charges of unlawfully detaining Oschadbank employees and subjecting them to cruel treatment.
On the day of the arrests, Orban visited TEK and spoke of an “increased terrorist threat”; official photos from the event show him alongside some of those who later carried out the raid against the cash transporters.
The Tax Service had already opened a case against the Ukrainians during Orban’s tenure, but it was soon closed due to lack of evidence. “The fact that the tax authorities closed the investigation without finding even the slightest grounds for a case [means] that the prosecution must now focus on the person who made the final decision—that is, Viktor Orbán,” Horvát stated.
https://www.ft.com/content/800a3c22-836f-4cb1-a4d1-f922d2d7e23a