Hungary's New Government Investigates Corruption Under Viktor Orban

Prime Minister Peter Magyar addressed an extraordinary session of the National Assembly on October 2, 2026, outlining his government's commitment to investigate corruption during Viktor Orban's administration, recover embezzled assets, and hold accountable those responsible. Magyar referred to the need to 'liquidate Orban's mafia state' and initiated 'Operation Purgatory' at the end of June 2026. However, progress has been limited, with no major purges of the state apparatus, although some funding to Orban-aligned businesses has been halted. A few individuals have been summoned for questioning, and some arrests have occurred. Recently, two prominent lawmakers from Orban's Fidesz party were arrested on corruption charges. The Tisza Party, which holds a two-thirds majority, lifted the immunity of Balazs Hanko and Miklos Sesztak, both under investigation for corruption. Hanko is accused of unlawfully allocating approximately 50 million euros from the National Cultural Fund for election campaign purposes, while Sesztak is alleged to have accepted around €30 million in bribes related to state contracts. Following the lifting of their immunity, Hanko barricaded himself in Parliament before eventually leaving, while Sesztak went directly to the prosecutor's office and was taken into pretrial detention. Prime Minister Magyar's own immunity was also lifted in a separate case involving theft, where he threw a phone into the Danube River. He emphasized that the same standards should apply to all lawmakers. Additionally, Magyar criticized the leadership of the prosecutor's office, alleging they have covered up corruption cases, and rejected the appointment of a new prosecutor general due to conflicts of interest related to ongoing investigations.