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28th May, 2026
Gov’t to revoke 1,000 diplomatic passports
Foreign Minister Anita Orbán has proposed revoking 943 diplomatic and service passports issued outside automatic entitlement rules, government spokeswoman Vanda Szondi announced on Wednesday.
The review covered 1,131 diplomatic and 191 service passports.
According to the government, serious irregularities were uncovered in the issuance practices under former Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.
Parliamentary state secretary György László Velkey said the practice posed national security risks, as diplomatic passports had been distributed “without justification” to friends, politicians, relatives, sports figures, and individuals linked to foreign business circles.
The government began the review earlier in May after violinist Zoltán Mága acknowledged that he had used a diplomatic passport during foreign appearances.
Previous reports revealed that thousands of diplomatic passports had been issued in recent years to figures including György Schadl, the man at the heart of the bailiffs bribery scandal, football player Balázs Dzsudzsák, PR consultant Árpád Habony, and sports journalist György Szöllősi.
Justice Minister Márta Görög is now examining whether the identities of passport holders can legally be disclosed while complying with privacy laws.
The government says future diplomatic passports will only be issued where clearly justified by the national interest.
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Sources regularly consulted, with abbreviations used in text: Népszabadság (N); Magyar Hírlap (MH); Világgazdaság (VG); Napi Gazdaság (NG); Magyar Nemzet (MN); Népszava (Nsz); Kossuth Rádió news (KR); nightly TV news (TV).
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