Scandal erupts in Hungary over evidence of corruption in Orbán's government

A scandal erupted in Hungary following the publication of an audio recording with the voice of Judit Varga, the former minister of justice, in which she allegedly confirms the conspiracy of Hungarian government officials to hide corruption.

Source: AP news agency, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The recording was published by a former Hungarian official and Varga's ex-husband, and now opposition leader and prominent anti-Orbán politician Péter Magyar.

Magyar, a former political insider, claims he became an informant to learn the full extent of the corruption plot. On the morning of 26 March, he shared a recording on Facebook and YouTube in which Varga's voice describes how other government officials were able to remove evidence from court records in order to conceal their involvement in corrupt business operations.

"They suggested to the prosecutors what should be removed," Varga says on the recording, which Magyar claims was made during a conversation in the former couple's apartment.

On Tuesday morning, Magyar handed over the recording to the Budapest prosecutor's office, where it will be used as evidence.

Varga accused Magyar of domestic violence during their marriage in a Facebook post, claiming she was forced to make the allegations.

"I said what he wanted to hear so I could get away as soon as possible. In a situation like this, any person can say things they don’t mean in a state of intimidation," Varga wrote. Magyar denied her allegations in a separate post on his Facebook.

Magyar, once a high-ranking but little-known member of Orbán’s political entourage, rose to prominence in February when he spoke on the popular YouTube channel Partizan, accusing Orbán’s government of widespread corruption and using smear campaigns to discredit opponents.

Background: 

• On 15 March 2024, Magyar addressed tens of thousands of people in Budapest, announcing plans to form a new political party to challenge Orbán.
• Magyar supporters hope the former insider's stance will help reshape Hungary's political system, which many regard as a deeply entrenched autocracy.
• Magyar opposed official corruption in Hungary, accusing Orbán of fostering an oligarchy in which the wealthy benefit from unjustly concluded state contracts. He specifically targeted Antal Rogán, the head of Prime Minister Orbán's department, who also oversees the Orbán media monopoly.
• A recording released on Tuesday purportedly shows Rogán leading efforts to change evidence in court.
• Varga served as Hungary's justice minister until February, when she resigned amid a political scandal after it was revealed that former president Katalin Novák had pardoned a convicted accomplice in a child sex abuse case.

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