Hungary’s prime minister accused former PM Viktor Orbán of threatening prosecutors, police officers and investigators who may work for the newly established National Asset Recovery and Asset Protection Office.
Magyar: “This is violence against an official”
Speaking in Parliament, Péter Magyar criticised Viktor Orbán over remarks the former prime minister made about employees of Hungary’s new National Asset Recovery and Asset Protection Office.
Magyar said Orbán had “specifically threatened Hungarian prosecutors, customs officers, police officers and investigators”, accusing members of the former governing party of remaining silent about the remarks. According to Magyar, Orbán’s statements could amount to the criminal offence of violence against a public official under Hungary’s Criminal Code.
He cited provisions under which anyone who uses violence or threats to obstruct an official carrying out a lawful procedure, or to force them to take action, can face between one and five years in prison.
“What Orbán did is violence against a public official under the Criminal Code,” Magyar said.
He also pointed out that, as a former prime minister, Orbán no longer has parliamentary immunity.
What did Orbán say?
The dispute follows an interview Orbán gave to Hír TV after his closed-door speech in Kötcse at the weekend. In the interview, Orbán referred to the newly established asset recovery office as an “ÁVH-type institution”, 444.hu writes. The ÁVH was Hungary’s communist-era state security organisation.
Orbán warned that if his political side returned to power, people who worked for the office, took part in its procedures or made decisions there would face accountability.
He also said the names of every employee involved would be made public, along with details of their work and the procedures in which they had participated.
Orbán argued that those responsible would have to face financial and legal consequences once, in his words, the rule of law was restored.
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Magyar calls for solidarity with officials
Magyar said the remarks were particularly serious because the people being targeted were public servants who would be carrying out lawful procedures. He called on Tisza MPs to express their solidarity with the affected officials and to defend them against what he described as threats.
The confrontation comes as the new Hungarian government prepares to use the asset recovery office to investigate cases involving suspected corruption and recover public assets “lost” during the 16 years of the previous Orbán era.
Orbán also attacks the Tisza government
In the same interview, Orbán criticised the government led by Magyar, arguing that it was handing Hungary’s economy back to Brussels and pursuing policies that would make the country less sovereign. The former prime minister also attacked the planned introduction of the euro, calling it the “biggest scam” and claiming that the stated 2030 target was merely a cover for future austerity measures.
Orbán further argued that the political right could only have a chance of returning to power if it remained united, and said his priority over the next six months would be to reorganise Fidesz rather than focus on Tisza.
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