BUDAPEST — The parliament voted 139-0 to lift the immunity, according to later reporting. Members of the Fidesz party and its ally KDNP boycotted the parliamentary vote. The vote to lift immunity was in response to a request from prosecutors seeking to investigate Magyar, Hanko, and Sesztak.

Peter Magyar requested that his immunity be lifted. "Anyone who has nothing to hide comes forward openly," Magyar said during the session. He added that he had not committed a crime and took responsibility for all his actions. None of the lawmakers whose immunity was lifted have been indicted.

He described the investigation against him as a "sham" and accused prosecutors of trying "to conflate" the ex-ministers’ cases "with the attempt at political character assassination… which has already failed several times". He called the case against him politically motivated and denied that his conduct amounted to theft. Fidesz and KDNP lawmakers called the charges against their lawmakers political tyranny by Magyar’s government.

Magyar is under investigation for misdemeanor theft related to an incident at a Budapest nightclub in June 2024. Prosecutors allege he took a mobile phone from a man filming him and threw it into the Danube River. In September 2024, prosecutors previously requested immunity suspension for Magyar over the 2024 nightclub incident, but the Parliament rejected the motion. The case was reopened in May 2026.

Balazs Hanko is under investigation for allegedly embezzling more than 40 million euros ($46 million) in public funds. He is also under investigation for allegedly mismanaging 17.3 billion forints ($53.6 million) of public funds from Hungary's National Cultural Fund. Prosecutors allege Hanko personally intervened to award money from the National Cultural Fund based on political considerations.

Allegations state he used embezzled funds to help finance the 2026 parliamentary election campaign and for the personal benefit of others. Hanko denies any wrongdoing.

Miklos Sesztak is under investigation for allegedly accepting more than $37.2 million in bribes and kickbacks. The alleged bribes are connected to vehicle procurements under Hungary’s state bus company and state construction projects. Reports indicate Sesztak is accused of accepting 11 billion forints ($34.3 million) in bribes linked to the Volánbusz scandal.

Sesztak served as Minister of National Development in Viktor Orbán's third cabinet. He denies any wrongdoing.

Hungary’s prosecutors requested immunity suspension for Magyar, Hanko, and Sesztak in response to a formal motion from the Chief Prosecutor’s Office, which cited evidence of criminal misconduct in each case. Magyar's Tisza party won a landslide election in April 2026, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule.

Why It Matters

The lifting of immunity marks a procedural step that enables the judiciary to examine allegations against the head of government and two former high-ranking officials. The investigations cover actions taken during the previous administration and recent events involving the current prime minister. The scale of the alleged financial misconduct involves tens of millions of dollars in public funds and bribes, affecting state cultural institutions and transportation infrastructure.

This development follows a political shift in April 2026 when the Tisza party ended 16 years of Fidesz-led governance. The opposition parties characterize the legal proceedings as political tyranny, while the prime minister frames them as character assassination. The outcome of these investigations will determine whether formal indictments are filed, a process that remains pending as no lawmaker has yet been charged.

Timeline

In June 2024, prosecutors alleged Peter Magyar took a mobile phone from a man filming him and threw it into the Danube River. During the same month, Magyar came under investigation for misdemeanor theft related to the incident at a Budapest nightclub. In April 2026, Peter Magyar's Tisza party ended Viktor Orban’s 16 years in power with an election victory less than six months prior to the vote.

On September 28, 2026, Hungary's Parliament voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar, former Minister of Culture Balazs Hanko, and former Minister of National Development Miklos Sesztak. On the same day, Fidesz and KDNP lawmakers called the charges against their lawmakers political tyranny by Magyar’s government. Also on September 28, 2026, Peter Magyar stated, "Anyone who has nothing to hide comes forward openly."

What's New

Later reporting indicates the vote to lift immunity was in response to a request from prosecutors seeking to investigate Magyar, as well as former Minister of Culture Balazs Hanko and former Minister of National Development Miklos Sesztak. Records show Hungary's parliament voted 139-0 to lift the immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar, former Culture and Innovation Minister Balazs Hanko, and former National Development Minister Miklos Sesztak.

The case was reopened in May 2026. Peter Magyar said he had not committed a crime and took responsibility for all his actions. Reports allege Balazs Hanko misused 17.3 billion forints ($53.6 million) from Hungary’s National Cultural Fund, with evidence showing political favoritism in funding allocations.