Hungary to permit 20-year wealth probes of former officials and ministers
The Hungarian parliament will soon consider a bill that enables the tax authority to examine the assets of former MPs, ministers and other senior officials for up to two decades.
In a video posted to Facebook, Magyar Péter said a new legislative proposal will be presented to the Országgyűlés that authorises the Nemzeti Adó- és Vámhivatal to conduct detailed investigations of politicians' assets going back as far as 20 years. The scope includes all former members of parliament, prime ministers, ministers, state secretaries, government commissioners and prime-ministerial aides whose terms ended within the last five years, as well as current officials after two years in office.
NAV would receive the powers needed to compare declared assets with tax-recorded income, examining real estate, bank accounts, corporate interests, insurance policies and investments. If discrepancies suggest tax evasion or illicit income, a targeted tax audit would follow, and any criminal suspicion would be referred to the Nemzeti Vagyon Visszaszerzési és Vagyonvédelmi Hivatal, the prosecutor's office or the police.
Why it matters
The proposal aims to tighten oversight of public officials' finances and curb potential corruption.
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