Hungary’s newly established National Office for Asset Recovery and Asset Protection could begin investigating high-profile cases within months, with the institution expected to employ around 200 people, according to István Hantosi, chair of Parliament’s Justice and Constitutional Affairs Committee.
The office, which, according to Hungary’s Prime Minister Péter Magyar, will be “the strongest anti-corruption institute in Europe”, is expected to be established alongside the prosecution service, with its president holding a position at the same level as the Prosecutor General. Parliament could elect the president and four deputies as early as the second half of next week.
New institution to have broad powers
The office was created under legislation recently approved by Hungary’s Parliament. Its supporters, including the Tisza Party, have presented it as a major anti-corruption institution intended to recover public assets and investigate suspected abuses. The leadership structure will include four deputy presidents responsible for public finances, investigations, prosecution and appeals.
Candidates must meet strict eligibility requirements. They must have no criminal record, while recent political office can also disqualify applicants. The president does not necessarily have to be a lawyer, but must have at least 15 years of professional experience in their field, or a relevant academic degree combined with at least 10 years of professional experience, writes 444.
The deputy responsible for public finances faces similar requirements, including professional experience in areas covered by the tax or customs authorities. The investigation, prosecution and appeals deputies must be practising prosecutors. A total of 96 people applied for the president’s position, while 68 applications were submitted for the deputy posts.
Hungary’s new office will work alongside prosecutors
The new institution will not be a superior body to the prosecution service. Hantosi stressed that its president will not be able to instruct prosecutors directly. However, the prosecution service will not be able to refuse requests from the new office to hand over relevant cases or documents, according to Hantosi. The two organisations will therefore need to coordinate closely, while retaining their separate institutional roles.
The Tisza Party expects the beginning of autumn to be largely devoted to establishing the new office and recruiting its staff. Hantosi said he would be disappointed if the first high-profile accountability cases had not begun by the end of the year.
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Focus on suspected abuses linked to the NER
Asset recovery and accountability have been presented as key elements of the Tisza Party’s political programme. Hantosi said Parliament would not provide the office with a formal list of cases to prioritise, but argued that the major alleged abuses connected to Hungary’s National Cooperation System (NER) are already well known.
He said it was unclear which cases would be examined first, pointing to a wide range of controversial economic affairs involving major business groups and public institutions. The new office could therefore become a significant part of the incoming government’s promised efforts to investigate suspected corruption and recover public funds, provided it becomes fully operational as planned.
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