On 2 February 2024, an as-yet unknown lawyer circulated information to the Hungarian press revealing that, on 27 April 2023—just one day before the Pope’s visit—then President of the Republic Katalin Novák had granted a pardon to Endre Kónya, the former deputy director of a children’s home in Bicske. Kónya had previously been sentenced to a custodial term for assisting in the concealment of paedophile offences committed by the institution’s director.
The pardon scandal triggered an outpouring of public outrage, though at the time few concrete details were available. Six key documents have now been released, shedding some light on the affair—though much remains shrouded in uncertainty.
Hungarians demand accountability
According to the latest polling by Publicus, Hungarian voters overwhelmingly expect accountability from the Tisza government, which commands a historic mandate with 141 parliamentary seats. In effect, four out of five voters are looking to the cabinet led by Péter Magyar to deliver answers—and the new Prime Minister has signalled his intention to meet that demand.
Magyar had previously pledged that, given the opportunity, he would uncover precisely who did what in relation to the pardon scandal. The affair not only led to the downfall of the President of the Republic and Judit Varga—then Justice Minister and Fidesz’s lead candidate for the European Parliament—but, given its far-reaching consequences, effectively engulfed the entire Orbán government.
Absent the scandal, Magyar himself might never have broken away from Fidesz’s hinterland, nor emerged as Orbán’s challenger at the head of the Tisza Party in the 12 April elections.
The pardon scandal – what we know so far
The six documents now in the public domain make one point abundantly clear: Judit Varga did not recommend that Endre Kónya be granted clemency. Applications for presidential pardon were examined by the relevant department within the Ministry of Justice, whose head, Ákos Horváth, did not support Kónya’s case. The same position was taken by Deputy Minister Róbert Répássy and ultimately by Varga herself. Nevertheless, all applications were duly forwarded to the President of the Republic.
The decision to grant clemency to Kónya (along with another unnamed individual) was taken by the President, and the paperwork was returned to the Ministry of Justice. What transpired at that stage remains unclear—whose influence prevailed, and how—but it is a matter of record that on 27 April, Varga affixed her signature to the presidential decision, thereby rendering it legally effective. An unprecedented haste marked the handling of the pardon: the decision of the President of the Republic was, bypassing the usual administrative channels, countersigned by the Minister of Justice without delay, on the very same day. The following day, Pope Francis arrived in Hungary.
Curiously, the formal pardon resolutions were only finalised on 5 June. On 7 June, State Secretary Róbert Répássy and the aforementioned department head countersigned a document recommending their endorsement. This almost certainly took place, although no written confirmation of the final countersignature appears among the released materials.
Questions without answers
The central question remains: why did President Novák grant clemency to Endre Kónya in defiance of the Ministry’s recommendation?
A second unresolved issue is why Judit Varga signed off on the decision. While it has not occurred since 2000 for a justice minister to override a presidential pardon, there was precedent during the first Orbán government (1998-2002), when Justice Minister Ibolya Dávid of the Hungarian Democratic Forum did so.
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Prime Minister Péter Magyar has suggested that Varga may not have been informed that the President had altered the list of those to be pardoned—in effect, that she was misled. Whether this originated within her own ministry or from the Presidential Office remains an open question.
Magyar has called on the current President, Tamás Sulyok, to publish all documents related to the pardon case held by his office before leaving his post, so that every piece of this discreditable affair can finally fall into place. He believes the files may reveal not only who advised Novák to grant the pardon, but also the identity of the lawyer involved.
Péter Magyar also indicated that a parliamentary committee of inquiry will shortly be established to investigate the matter. Those summoned—primarily former members of the government, but potentially even Anikó Lévai, the Prime Minister’s wife, should her involvement be established—will be obliged to appear. The Prime Minister further made clear that legislation will be amended to ensure that, in future, both the identity of those granted clemency and the relevant decisions are made public.
The relevant documents are available at kormany.hu.
Update: President to hand ‘pardon case’ documents to government
The Presidential Office will hand over to the government the documents related to the pardon granted to Endre Kónya, Sándor Palace informed MTI on Tuesday. The Sándor Palace said that it will cooperate with the government in publishing the documents related to Endre Kónya’s case and, upon official request, hand over the available documents to a government representative.
Fidesz: Orbán government informed about ‘pardon case’ in February 2024
Members of the former government were informed about the paedophile “pardon case” in February 2024, when the scandal broke out, the parliamentary group of the opposition Fidesz party said in a statement on Tuesday. “Our outrage was reflected in the [then] government’s approval of the resignations” of Judit Varga, the justice minister, and Katalin Novák, the president of the republic, at the time, the statement said.
The group noted that the pardon petition of Endre Kónya had not been supported by Varga, but that she then countersigned the pardon after Novák had done so. Concerning Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s press conference on the matter earlier in the day, the group said it was “no more than another Facebook event” with no new information.
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