Antal Rogán, former minister heading the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office from 2015 to 2026 and former prime minister Viktor Orbán’s right-hand man, has been summoned to appear before a parliamentary committee investigating alleged abuses of power within the executive branch. The hearing is scheduled for 17 December, as the inquiry expands its examination of the country’s controversial bailiff system.
Rogán summoned to a hearing
The committee, chaired by Mi Hazánk party leader László Toroczkai, decided on Thursday to compel several individuals to provide oral or written testimony. Orbán’s minister, Rogán is expected to answer questions in person, alongside former Justice Ministry state secretary Pál Völner and György Schadl, the former president of the Hungarian Chamber of Judicial Officers, reports Népszabadság Online.
Schadl and Völner are due to appear on 16 December, a day before the hearing of Orbán’s minister, Rogán. However, Schadl’s attendance could prove difficult, as he is currently under house arrest in connection with an ongoing criminal case. Toroczkai said he would approach the Budapest-Capital Regional Court and, if necessary, other authorities to facilitate the hearing.
The committee has also summoned Rogán’s former chief of staff, Ádám Nagy, businessman Róbert Rehák, lawyer Márk András Zavaczky, Ádám Tóth, president of the Hungarian Chamber of Notaries, Kornél Bódizs, head of a debt collection and business information association, and Miklós Krejniker, former president of the Chamber of Judicial Officers. Their hearings are scheduled for 9 December.
The committee’s decisions were unanimous, with representatives of the governing Fidesz and Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP) also supporting the summonses.
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Written testimony and confidential information
The inquiry is also seeking written statements by 6 December from several individuals, including Helga Schadl-Baranyai, a judicial officer and Schadl’s wife, independent bailiff Zoltán Várady, notary Kristóf Szécsényi-Nagy and Péter Felfalusi, chief executive of Intrum Hungary.
The committee further decided to contact the authority responsible for classified information cited by former bailiff Ferenc Kiss. Kiss had suggested during an earlier hearing that he possessed information potentially covered by state secrecy. The authority will determine whether his confidentiality obligations remain in force. If permission is granted, the information could be discussed in a closed session.
The investigation comes amid the high-profile corruption case involving Schadl and Völner, both of whom are defendants in the ongoing criminal proceedings. The parliamentary inquiry aims to examine alleged abuses within the enforcement system, although its hearings do not themselves establish criminal guilt.
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