On Monday, Hungary’s parliament voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of Péter Magyar, Hungary’s prime minister. This decision made him the first sitting head of government in Hungary’s history to have his legal immunity lifted while in office. Euractiv reports, UNN writes.
Details
Lifting his immunity allows prosecutors to continue examining a case dating back to June 2024—nearly two years before Magyar won the election and defeated Viktor Orbán. The incident occurred at the Ötkert nightclub in central Budapest, just a few weeks after that year’s European Parliament elections.
According to prosecutors, Magyar was relaxing at the club when he noticed a man filming him. At the time, eyewitness accounts and available video footage showed Magyar dancing in the company of young women, with some media outlets reporting that some of them were underage.
Prosecutors allege that after a verbal altercation, Magyar snatched the phone from the man’s hands and put it in his pocket. Despite the owner’s repeated requests, Magyar refused to return the device.
After security guards escorted him out of the nightclub, Magyar reportedly headed toward the Danube. The victim and several other witnesses followed him. Investigators allege that, upon reaching the riverbank, he "deliberately threw the phone into the Danube."
Additional information
Magyar previously had immunity as a Member of the European Parliament.
At the time, the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee refused to lift his immunity. The committee said the case appeared to be a politically motivated attempt by Orbán’s administration at the time to remove its main opponent.
Following Monday’s vote, in which 139 lawmakers supported lifting his immunity, the Hungarian authorities can now question the prime minister and formally bring him into the proceedings. During the meeting, Magyar’s Tisza party representative on the Immunities Committee did not provide a detailed defense of the prime minister’s actions.
Wine was poured over Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar during a festival20.09.26, 17:59