Hungary could soon see tens of thousands of names revealed from the country’s Communist-era secret service files, with government estimates suggesting that as many as 60,000–80,000 people could be identified.

Bálint Ruff, head of the Prime Minister’s Office, told Telex that the figure was based on professional estimates concerning the potential disclosure of names contained in the files.

“I have an idea of the number,” Ruff said, while stressing that he did not know whether the documents would include people who later became important political or economic figures after the fall of Communism in 1990.

“The agent files are a very important part of our shared past, and there will be many things in them that will cause sadness for many families,” he said.

Who could appear in the files?

The possible publication of tens of thousands of names could make the Communist-era secret service files one of the most politically and socially sensitive historical disclosures in modern Hungary.

Ruff did not say that all of the people whose names could appear were necessarily secret agents or informants. The files may contain the names of people who had various connections to the state security apparatus, meaning that the precise nature of an individual’s involvement would need to be established from the documents.

He also said he did not know whether people who went on to become prominent political or economic figures after 1990 would be among those named.

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Around 100 documents could be declassified this week

Ruff said he hoped that approximately 100 documents known as “No. 3,000 resolutions” would be declassified and published later this week. He said questions of potential criminal responsibility would have to be decided by investigating authorities.

According to Ruff, the documents concern decisions and contracts that were signed by identifiable officials. He noted that the relevant “3,000” documents were signed by the prime minister in office at the time.

The government has also indicated that it intends to make public information concerning the travels of János Lázár, who served in senior government positions under Viktor Orbán. Ruff claimed that he knew where Lázár had travelled, what he had done and why the information had previously been kept secret. He said these details would also be made public.

Government says complaints involve HUF 2 trillion

The disclosure of the historical documents comes alongside a broader government investigation into the use of public money under previous administrations.

Ruff said the government had so far filed complaints in cases involving a total value of HUF 2 trillion (EUR 5.4 billion).

One of the ongoing investigations concerns Századvég, a Hungarian think tank that Ruff said had received between HUF 20 billion and HUF 30 billion in public money over the past decade for research and studies. He said a criminal complaint would also be filed in connection with that case.

The government has already filed a complaint concerning Observer, a media-monitoring company, over what Ruff described as “exorbitant” sums paid for its services.

He also referred to the Kommentár Foundation, claiming that properties worth “twenty billion” forints had been purchased for the organisation. Ruff added that colleagues were currently calculating the sums paid to the Nézőpont Institute.

The allegations and complaints mentioned by Ruff do not in themselves establish criminal wrongdoing; any potential criminal liability will ultimately be determined by the competent authorities.

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A long-running question in Hungary

The fate of Hungary’s Communist-era secret service files has been a contentious issue for decades. Successive governments have faced pressure to make the records more accessible and clarify the activities of the former state security services. The issue is particularly sensitive because some people who were connected to the Communist-era system later became influential figures in post-1990 Hungary.

If the government proceeds with the planned disclosures, the publication of tens of thousands of names could reignite long-running debates about political responsibility, collaboration with the former regime and the extent to which the past has been fully confronted. For many Hungarian families, however, the revelations could have consequences far beyond politics, potentially exposing secrets that have remained hidden for generations.