Hungarian parliament lifts immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar and two former ministers
Hungary's parliament voted 139 to 0 to lift the immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar and two ministers from Viktor Orban's previous government to allow separate criminal investigations to proceed.
Parliamentary vote
On 28 September 2026, Hungary's parliament voted 139 to 0 to lift the legal immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar. The decision also removed parliamentary immunity from two former cabinet ministers who served under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban: former Culture and Innovation Minister Balazs Hanko and former National Development Minister Miklos Sesztak. Lawmakers from Orban's Fidesz party and its ally, the Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP), boycotted the session and did not cast ballots. Magyar requested the vote himself, directing his Tisza party, which holds a two-thirds majority in the legislature, to support the prosecutors' application. The votes authorize Hungarian law enforcement authorities to proceed with separate criminal investigations into all three politicians, though none has been formally indicted.
- Peter Magyar
- 139 votes
- Balazs Hanko
- 139 votes
- Miklos Sesztak
- 139 votes
Nightclub theft investigation
The investigation into Magyar concerns an altercation at a Budapest nightclub during the night of 20 to 21 June 2024. Prosecutors state that Magyar took a mobile phone from a patron who was recording video of him and threw the device into the Danube River. Security personnel escorted Magyar out of the venue, and police later recovered the working phone from the riverbed. Authorities valued the smartphone at more than 100,000 forints (around €250). Hungary's chief prosecutor had requested the European Parliament to waive Magyar's immunity in September 2024 when he served as an MEP, but European lawmakers refused that petition. Magyar maintained domestic parliamentary protection after taking office as prime minister following his party's victory over Orban in the April 2026 election, which prompted prosecutors to renew their request before the national legislature.
- Nightclub altercation occurs in Budapest involving a patron's mobile phone
- Chief prosecutor requests European Parliament to waive Magyar's MEP immunity
- Tisza party wins Hungarian parliamentary elections, defeating Viktor Orban
- Magyar's European mandate concludes as he takes office as prime minister
- Hungarian parliament votes 139 to 0 to lift Magyar's immunity
Magyar's response
Magyar denied committing theft, arguing that his conduct did not meet the legal definition of the crime and describing the prosecution as a politically driven attack. He criticized prosecutors for submitting the immunity requests for him and the two former Orban cabinet members simultaneously, stating that the move was designed to link him to corruption allegations. Addressing lawmakers before the vote, Magyar affirmed that he intended to defend himself in legal proceedings and took full responsibility for his conduct. In a statement on social media, he framed the outcome as a demonstration of legal accountability.
Anyone who has nothing to hide does not fear standing before justice.
Corruption allegations against former ministers
The investigations into the two former ministers involve accusations of financial misconduct during Orban's 16-year administration. Balazs Hanko, who led the Ministry of Culture and Innovation between 2024 and 2026 and currently sits as a Fidesz lawmaker, faces scrutiny over the handling of public funding. Prosecutors allege that Hanko improperly allocated resources across more than 1,000 cases involving Hungary's National Cultural Fund, generating 17.3 billion forints in losses. Hanko has rejected the allegations. Miklos Sesztak, a KDNP lawmaker who served as national development minister from 2014 to 2018, is under investigation regarding state bus procurement contracts for the operator Volanbusz, where prosecutors suspect he received more than €30 million in kickbacks and illicit payments.
