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27th August, 2026
House committee to explore political threads behind MNB scandal
Attila Csoszi, chairman of parliament’s investigative committee on the MNB scandal involving the loss of billions of forints, said yesterday before the panel’s first meeting that the committee would trace the flow of funds and identify those politically responsible.
No witness list has been finalised, but Csoszi, a Tisza MP, indicated that former MNB governor Gyorgy Matolcsy and his son will probably be summoned.
Csoszi stressed that the committee will not duplicate ongoing police and prosecutorial investigations into money-laundering and embezzlement, but will instead pursue the “political threads”, exploring who enabled and profited from the loss of hundreds of billions of forints, including Ft 266 billion placed in MNB foundations and Ft 127 billion tied to a Kecskemet university foundation, as well as huge losses on Polish and Swiss investments.
A new law imposes escalating fines, and eventually a possible police escort, on witnesses who refuse to appear when summoned. They may also be punished up to three years in prison.
The committee must report by December 31, 2026.
Wednesday’s inaugural session was largely consumed by procedural wrangling.
Fidesz delegate Bence Tuzson submitted a 19-point amendment just before the meeting began, prompting accusations from Tisza Party members that he was stalling. Tuzson cited technical concerns.
Debate over the work plan followed, with Tuzson and KDNP’s Janos Hargitai maintaining that it was overly ambitious and risked overlapping with other investigations. Their proposal for a full rewrite was voted down, and the plan passed by a 3-2 vote.
On a more harmonious note, the committee unanimously supported a document request motion. (telex.hu; hvg.hu; 24.hu; 444.hu; vg.hu)
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27th August, 2026
Varga ready to release MNB files
The head of the data protection and freedom of information authority, Attila Peterfalvi, told RTL on Tuesday that the MNB had acted unlawfully by refusing to disclose financial information requested by Transparency International.
The anti-corruption group had sought data on the central bank’s subsidies, purchases and commissioned services.
Peterfalvi argued that the MNB is a public body managing public funds and must therefore ensure transparency.
Separately, MNB governor Mihaly Varga also supports publishing the contracts, saying he believes the central bank has nothing to hide. (rtl.hu; 24.hu; nepszava.hu; portfolio.hu; novekedes.hu; telex.hu; hvg.hu)
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27th August, 2026
Magyar videos cabinet meeting
Prime Minister Peter Magyar posted a video on Facebook Wednesday morning after he brought cameras into a weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office on Alkotmany utca.
He told viewers “let us take a quick look ... because there are more than 40 items on the agenda, so it is going to be a very long day”, before the footage shows ministers gathered around the table for a session running into the evening.
In the video, Magyar confirms that all four units at the nuclear power plant in Paks will be running at full capacity by evening, and outlines the day’s agenda: securing EU funds, budget discussions, investment in transport, lessons from the recent energy situation, the climate emergency, and the drought.
The glimpse into cabinet proceedings echoes a practice from the previous government, HVG observes, as Viktor Orban occasionally released similar footage of cabinet meetings.
However, those clips revealed no substantive details and leaned more toward slick image films, often with no narration and scored with dramatic music, seemingly aimed at reinforcing Fidesz’s political narrative, the website adds. (hvg.hu; 24.hu)
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27th August, 2026
Fidesz had access to personal data of users of state-sponsored app
Zoltan Tanacs, head of the Ministry of Science and Technology, said an audit uncovered a co-operation agreement between the Government Service Centre and Fidesz, along with a related data-processing contract, that gave the party access to personal data of Gondosora (Care Watch) program users.
Both agreements were signed on November 3 then were extended on December 30 through the end of this year.
Under the deal, Fidesz acted as a data processor tasked with contacting seniors over 78 who were not using the monitoring program or using it poorly.
Party activists visited these individuals and reported back on reachability and consent.
The partners had access to users’ names, titles, addresses, and age status.
Tanacs called it deeply troubling that a political party contesting an election could use government data to determine who to visit, where, and by demographic, especially involving elderly, vulnerable people shortly before an election.
He announced the termination of the contract and ordered a full audit, promising reports to authorities if misuse is confirmed.
His ministry had already filed a criminal complaint over other Gondosora irregularities, including alleged budget fraud and embezzlement, while the Integrity Authority has filed a separate complaint. (telex.hu; hvg.hu; 24.hu; 444.hu)
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27th August, 2026
Prosecutor Office paid out Ft 5bn in bonuses
Records obtained by HVG from the Office of the Prosecutor General show that 3,905 employees received one-time bonuses in June averaging Ft 1,195,058 gross, about 93.2% of the average monthly salary.
Staff on maternity/childcare leave or facing disciplinary or criminal proceedings were excluded.
Assistant prosecutors and legal clerks received the sum as wage compensation, while others, including 1,764 prosecutors, received it as a bonus.
The Office of the Prosecutor General itself applied a different formula, paying its prosecutors half a month’s salary; 353 staff there received a combined Ft 476.8 million, averaging Ft 1.35 million each. (nepszava.hu; hvg.hu; forbes.hu)
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27th August, 2026
51 former soldiers offer to return
Some 51 former soldiers have so far expressed interest in returning to the Defence Forces, Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said on Wednesday.
Each applicant will be assessed individually for suitability, professional qualifications and whether their expertise is needed, he added.
The return option is open to personnel previously dismissed under earlier measures aimed at rejuvenating the armed forces. (portfolio.hu; hvg.hu)
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27th August, 2026
Govt sends firefighters to Serbia
Hungary is sending a rescue team of 12 professional firefighters and four specialist vehicles to Serbia to help contain the forest fires raging in the neighbouring country.
The Serbian government accepted the offer, and the Hungarian contingent set off from Kecskemet on Tuesday evening, Interior Minister Gabor Posfai reported. (portfolio.hu; infostart.hu; index.hu)
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