Two Former Ministers Detained as Hungary's 'Cleansing Fire’ Operation Gathers Pace
- On Monday, September 28, 2026, Hungarian authorities detained former ministers Balazs Hanko and Miklos Sesztak hours after The National Assembly voted 139-0 to strip their parliamentary immunity in separate criminal investigations.
- Prosecutors allege Sesztak accepted bribes worth approximately €30 million tied to construction contracts, while Hanko is accused of mismanaging funds at the National Cultural Fund, causing significant financial loss to the state budget.
- While Fidesz and Christian Democrat allies boycotted the immunity vote, labeling the proceedings political revenge, Prime Minister Peter Magyar simultaneously requested the lifting of his own immunity regarding a 2024 incident.
- Former Prime Minister Viktor Orban broadcast the event live on Facebook, denouncing the government's approach as "neo-communist," while Magyar described Monday as a milestone in his "Purification" operation.
- Seeking to dismantle networks built over Orban's 16 years in office, the Tisza party aims to replace senior officials and reform the public prosecution service following their two-thirds majority win in April.
53 Articles
53 Articles
Two Orbán-Era Ministers Detained in Hungary as Critics Question Magyar’s Methods
Peter Magyar, leader of the opposition TISZA party, delivers a speech to mark the 69th anniversary of the Hungarian Uprising, in Budapest, Hungary, on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bernadett Szabo/Reuters)
"Operation Purification launched by Prime Minister Péter Magyar entered a new stage with the detention of two former ministers. The shooting of officials from the period when Viktor Orbán was in power was one of the main...
Magyar's 'Operation Purge' takes shape with high level detentions
Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s “Operation Purge” has entered a new phase with the detention of two former ministers. Holding officials from the Orbán era to account was a central campaign pledge, and Magyar says the drive will now accelerate. Fidesz has denounced the effort as political revenge.
For the first time since the end of Viktor Orbán's term of office, two of his former ministers have been arrested and the Hungarian prosecutor's office accuses them of corruption.
"In the end, both of them will defend their truth," the former propaganda minister is confident.
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