Hungarian Prime Minister asks to be stripped of his immunity after phone incident
Quick Look
- Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said that he would not object to the deprivation of his parliamentary immunity by the country's parliament.
- The Prosecutor General's Office filed a petition due to suspicion of theft: in June 2024, in a Budapest club, Magyar took the phone from a visitor who was filming it, put it in his pocket and threw it into the Danube River.
- The politician called the case fabricated and accused the police of risky searches for the phone by divers.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Hungary is a parliamentary republic, where deputies have immunity, which can be lifted by parliament at the request of the prosecutor's office. The incident occurred in June 2024 in one of the clubs in Budapest.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said that he would not object if the country's parliament deprived him of parliamentary immunity. The politician’s video message was published on Facebook (a social network banned in Russia; owned by the Meta corporation, which is recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation and is banned).
The Hungarian Prosecutor General's Office filed a petition to suspend Magyar's immunity due to suspicion of committing theft. In June 2024, in a club in Budapest, a politician got into an altercation and took the phone from another visitor because he filmed his actions. Magyar put the phone in his pocket and then threw it into the Danube River.
“My conscience is clear, I ask parliament to immediately deprive me of parliamentary immunity, I will appear before the authorities with joy and pride,” he said.
Magyar called the case against him fabricated. He also announced his intention to file a complaint against the police for sending a team of divers to look for a drowned mobile phone in the Danube, “risking their lives.”
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Hungarian Parliament will consider the Prosecutor General's Office's request to revoke Peter Magyar's immunity in the coming weeks
Likely · Within weeks
Magyar will file a formal complaint against the police actions to search for the phone in the Danube
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What evidence does the prosecutor's office have in the theft case?
- Will the Hungarian Parliament consider a petition to revoke immunity?
- What consequences might follow for Magyar if his immunity is revoked?
