Hungarian Parliament Lifts Immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar Amid Theft Charges

BUDAPEST, September 28. /TASS/. The Hungarian parliament voted to lift the immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who faces theft charges, in a vote on Monday.

"As many as 139 lawmakers voted in favor of this decision. No one voted against or abstained," Speaker Agnes Forsthoffer said at an extraordinary parliament meeting broadcast by M1 television.

The measure was supported by members of the ruling Tisza party and Our Homeland, a far-right party. Factions of the opposition party Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Alliance were absent from the meeting in protest as legislators also considered lifting the immunity of two former ministers in the Viktor Orban-led government.

Magyar serves as prime minister and is also a member of parliament, where his party, Tisza, controls more than two-thirds of seats. He himself has asked to suspend his immunity, saying that he is ready to cooperate with investigators and has nothing to be afraid of. In June 2024, Magyar took a man’s mobile phone during a nightclub altercation and threw it into the Danube River. The Hungarian PM said the predecessor government had attempted a provocation against him.

Now that Magyar has been stripped of his parliamentary immunity, he can face a trial. Prosecutors said his actions could be classified as theft. Given the smartphone in question was worth approximately €275, Magyar may face either a large fine, community service or a prison term of up to two years.

The opposition in Hungary is seeking to draw as much attention as possible to this case as it expects the issue to cause political harm to the current government. The Orban-led Fidesz party said "Magyar may become the first ever Prime Minister to face criminal charges for the theft of a mobile phone."