Hungary's ex-culture minister detained on suspicion of embezzlement

Hungarian prosecutors announced on Tuesday, September 29, that a former minister in ex-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's cabinet has been detained on suspicion of embezzling funds from the National Cultural Fund (NKA). Reuters reported the news citing a prosecutors' statement, as relayed by "European Pravda."

The official in question is former culture minister and current member of parliament Balázs Hankó. According to prosecutors, he was detained on Monday, September 28, at the National Tax and Customs Administration, after lawmakers voted to strip him of his parliamentary immunity.

Prosecutors stated that as part of an ongoing investigation into a criminal offense involving embezzlement, they took MP Balázs Hankó into custody and questioned him as a suspect.

Hankó, speaking live on Orbán's Facebook page, denied the accusations, saying his conscience is clear and describing the case as a politically motivated show trial.

Wider context

It was previously reported that Hungary's National Asset Recovery and Protection Office announced the launch of investigations into four cases connected to the period of Orbán's premiership. In June, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced the start of an operation called "Cleansing Fire," aimed at fighting corruption across all branches of power and targeting officials from the previous government led by Orbán. A new anti-corruption body, the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, was established as part of this operation.

Orbán caused a scandal in Hungary by attacking the agency during a television interview, threatening that his Fidesz party would publish the names of people working there and track the cases they had been involved in investigating.