Former Hungarian culture minister arrested over suspected abuse of NKA funds

Balazs Hanko, Hungary’s former culture minister and a sitting member of parliament, has been arrested on suspicion of embezzling funds from the National Cultural Fund (NKA), an institution under the Ministry of Culture.

According to the Hungarian Prosecutor’s Office, he was detained on Monday evening at the premises of the National Tax and Customs Administration after parliament had approved the lifting of his immunity.

Hanko has denied the allegations. Shortly before his arrest, during a live broadcast on Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Facebook page, he said, “my conscience is clear” and described the proceedings as a “political trial.”

The case concerns suspicions that the NKA distributed billions of forints in state grants to artists and organizations close to the Fidesz party through a non-transparent mechanism. All the individuals and entities mentioned have denied any wrongdoing.

As part of the same investigation, police searched in July the offices where Fidesz’s internet servers are located. Authorities are investigating suspicions of “embezzlement and other criminal offenses” that may be linked to the cultural fund.

Hanko is the second high-ranking official to be detained within a single day. Miklos Sesztak, national development minister in Orban’s government from 2014 to 2018, was also arrested on Monday. He is being investigated on suspicion of bribery but also denies any wrongdoing.

The arrests come as Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s government has stepped up efforts to combat corruption and the misuse of public funds. According to Magyar, these practices have cost Hungary the equivalent of 8% to 10% of its gross domestic product in recent years, during the rule of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Orban has rejected allegations that he tolerated corruption with impunity during his 16 years in power.

In a Facebook post, Magyar hailed Monday as a significant day, declaring that after decades, many Hungarians were seeing what he called “equality before the law” being enforced.

Investigations into Hanko and Sesztak are continuing, while authorities may also examine other suspected cases of corruption and the misuse of public funds.