Former National Development Minister Miklós Seszták has been detained at Hungary’s Central Investigative Prosecutor’s Office after Parliament suspended his immunity over corruption allegations dating back to his time in government.
Seszták detained after going to prosecutor’s office
Miklós Seszták, a Christian Democrat MP and former Minister of National Development, was detained on Monday at the Central Investigative Prosecutor’s Office, his lawyer, Gábor Papp, told 24.hu.
Seszták did not attend Parliament for the vote on his immunity. Instead, he went to the prosecutor’s office, saying that he intended to give a statement. He maintains that he is innocent.
Earlier on Monday, Parliament voted 139–0, with no abstentions, to suspend Seszták’s parliamentary immunity. The decision allows criminal proceedings against him to move forward in connection with corruption cases outlined by prosecutors last week.
If convicted, Seszták could face up to 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors allege billions in illegal benefits
The Central Investigative Prosecutor’s Office has alleged that there are well-founded grounds to suspect that Seszták accepted bribes worth hundreds of millions or even several billion forints from construction contractors while serving as Minister of National Development between 2014 and 2018.
According to prosecutors, Seszták and Norbert Szivek, who was CEO of the Hungarian National Asset Management Company at the time, obtained HUF 11 billion (approximately EUR 30 million) in unlawful benefits.
The prosecution has also referred to other incriminating testimony against Seszták. These are allegations, and Seszták has denied committing any crime.
After prosecutors requested the suspension of his immunity, he previously said that every element of the allegations was unfounded.
“I have not committed any crime, and I am not aware of any crime having been committed,”
he said at the time.
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A political career spanning decades
Seszták, born in 1968, graduated in law from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest in 1994 and began working as a lawyer two years later, Telex writes.
He entered local politics in Kisvárda in 1998 and became a member of the National Assembly for the Fidesz–KDNP alliance in 2010. He won the Kisvárda constituency again in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
He served as Minister of National Development from 2014 to 2018, overseeing a ministry with responsibility for a wide range of economic and state-owned assets.
Seszták remained a member of Parliament after leaving government and was among Hungary’s wealthiest MPs for years. He entered the current Parliament from the Fidesz–KDNP national list as a member of the KDNP parliamentary group.
However, he lost his Kisvárda constituency in the 2026 election, when Tisza candidate Viktória Dicső defeated him by six percentage points.
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Previous controversies surrounding Seszták
These corruption allegations are not the first controversy to have surrounded Seszták. In 2013, before he became minister, Átlátszó reported that five companies had won a combined HUF 12.5 billion in funding in a tender for developing broadband optical networks. The companies had reportedly been established shortly beforehand and registered at the same address, while belonging to a group in which Seszták had served as a supervisory board member.
In 2014, Index reported that Seszták had been involved over several years in establishing hundreds of companies, many registered in the names of Russian and Ukrainian nationals at addresses in Kisvárda. According to the report, more than 700 companies were involved, many of which were later liquidated with outstanding debts.
Seszták has also remained one of the wealthier members of Parliament. His 2026 asset declaration lists two properties in Budapest and three in Kisvárda, as well as HUF 869 million in government securities, HUF 103 million in investment funds and HUF 32.7 million in shares. He declared HUF 66 million in bank deposits and HUF 20 million in cash.
The current corruption allegations concern events from Seszták’s period as minister between 2014 and 2018. The suspension of his immunity and his detention do not amount to a finding of guilt; any criminal liability will ultimately be determined through the judicial process.
