Fidesz–KDNP MP Balázs Hankó left Hungary’s Parliament on Monday evening after receiving a summons from prosecutors, but his emotional farewell took an unexpected turn when the car waiting to take him away drove off without him.

Hankó leaves Parliament after receiving summons

Balázs Hankó, a former culture and innovation minister and current Fidesz–KDNP MP, left Parliament shortly after 7:30 PM on Monday after receiving a summons from the relevant prosecutor’s office.

Earlier in the day, Parliament had voted 139–0, with no abstentions, to suspend his parliamentary immunity. Prosecutors are investigating him in connection with the National Cultural Fund (NKA) case, alleging that decisions made while he was minister and president of the NKA caused HUF 17.3 billion in financial damage.

Hankó has rejected the allegations and described the case as a politically motivated prosecution. He said earlier on Monday that he had refuted all the accusations and that his conscience was clear. His lawyer had also informed prosecutors that Hankó would appear whenever summoned.

An emotional farewell outside Parliament

Hankó had spent much of Monday inside the Parliament building, after previously saying that he would remain there and wait for the authorities to arrest him. After receiving the summons at around 7:20 PM, however, he finally left.

His departure was broadcast live on former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Facebook page, giving viewers a front-row seat to an unusually dramatic farewell.

Hankó paused outside Parliament and reflected on the Budapest skyline, saying:

“If you look at how beautifully we built this capital and renovated it…”

He then approached a car that had apparently been waiting to take him to the prosecutor’s office.

Before getting in, Hankó asked for a moment to say goodbye to his wife, his three sons, his daughter and his father. Members of his parliamentary group also gathered around him, with supporters calling out phrases including “We are with you, Balázs”, “Stay strong” and “We’ll be waiting for you.” Then things took an unexpected turn.

The car drives away without him

After Hankó placed his bags on the back seat and closed the car door, the vehicle suddenly pulled away,

without Hankó.

The former minister tried to call after the car, but the driver was already heading away, apparently believing that his passenger had got into the vehicle. Hankó was then seen hesitantly walking after the departing car before the live broadcast ended:

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What is Hankó accused of?

The case concerns the National Cultural Fund, which Hankó headed while serving as minister. According to prosecutors, the NKA’s Temporary College for Priority Cultural Programmes improperly allocated public funds 1,079 times between 3 September 2025 and 30 March 2026, using money for purposes outside those defined by law. Prosecutors say this caused HUF 17.3 billion in financial damage, Telex writes.

Hankó denies wrongdoing. He has said that all decisions in the NKA case complied with the law and that neither he nor anyone else stole money from the fund. With his parliamentary immunity now suspended, the legal obstacle to investigating him as a potential suspect has been removed. However, the suspension itself does not constitute a finding of guilt.

Hankó’s former government colleague Miklós Seszták also had his immunity suspended on Monday in a separate corruption case and was later detained at the Central Investigative Prosecutor’s Office.

Read the details: Hungarian parliament suspends PM Magyar’s immunity after he called for it