Former Hungarian culture minister detained in alleged 17.3 billion forint fund misuse

Balázs Hankó, who served as Hungary’s Minister of Culture and Innovation during the Orbán administration, was detained on Monday evening after Parliament voted to suspend his parliamentary immunity. Former state secretary Veronika Varga-Bajusz was also summoned for interrogation. Prosecutors claim that, as president of the National Cultural Fund, Hankó orchestrated a dual-track procedure that allocated public money in 1,079 instances contrary to legal requirements, resulting in a loss of 17.3 billion forints.

The investigation suggests he, or others acting for him, directly decided on grant applications despite a law barring such involvement. Immunity was also withdrawn for former minister Miklós Seszták and ex-prime minister Péter Magyar in separate cases. After his immunity was lifted, Hankó spent the day in Parliament with his family before voluntarily appearing at the prosecutor’s office, an event streamed on Viktor Orbán’s Facebook page. Fidesz floor leader János Bóka vowed to pursue legal and political retaliation against those handling the case.